Mechanism of Adrenalin Pulmonary Edema and Its Prevention by Narcotics and Autonomic Blockers

¹ Division of Cardiovascular Research of the Department of Physiology, The Chicago Medical School, University of Health Sciences, Chicago, Illinois

The dynamics of pulmonary edema caused by adrenalin was studied by left and right heart catheterizations in rabbits. It was ascertained that the injection is followed by marked systolic hypertension, increase of the left ventricular dp/dt, and, at the same time, an elevation of left ventricular diastolic pressures to levels of 60-80 mm Hg. These changes are similar to those previously observed in the dog for other types of palmonary edema. The actions of narcotics and autonomic blockers in preventing pulmonary edema were studied. The effect of morphine was moderate; that of chloralose, minimal; that of pentobarbital, again moderate. While phenoxybenzamine completely prevented pulmonary edema and insured total survival, trimethaphan insured total survival but did not prevent pulmonary edema. These results suggest that death can be caused by either pulmonary edema or other mechanisms.