The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 82, 203-210, Copyright © 1981 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Effects of dopamine, ethanol, and mannitol on cardiopulmonary function in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome
GR Rhodes, M Taylor, JC Newell, DM Shah, WA Scovill and SR Powers
Dopamine, ethanol, and mannitol were investigated to determine if they
could increase pulmonary blood flow and oxygen delivery without
significantly increasing intrapulmonary shunt. These drugs were studied in
adult patients with respiratory distress following trauma, operation, or
sepsis. Intravascular pressure, cardiac output, oxygen consumption and
delivery, and limb blood flow and peripheral oxygen delivery were measured
in all patients. Hypotensive patients received dopamine in incremental
doses of 2 mu g/kg/min until either mean arterial pressure increased 15 mm
Hg or heart rate increased by more than 15 beats/min. Ethanol was given as
10% ethanol in 5% dextrose at 2 ml/kg/hr. Mannitol was given as 25 gm of a
25% solution in a single bolus followed by infusion of 8 to 25 gm of 20%
solution (mean 10 +/- 2 gm) as a continuous intravenous drip over 1 hour.
No drug produced a significant change in intrapulmonary shunt. Ethanol
produced significant (p less than 0.05) increases in cardiac index, heart
rate, oxygen consumption, and oxygen delivery. Dopamine significantly
decreased pulmonary vascular resistance while increasing systemic blood
pressure. Visceral blood flow apparently increased while the peripheral
vascular response to ischemia remained intact. Mannitol increased oxygen
delivery and consumption in both the total body and limb. Thus in patients
with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), increases in pulmonary
blood flow can be achieved with several distinct pharmacologic agents
without significant increases in intrapulmonary shunt. These increases in
flow are generally accompanied by increases in oxygen delivery without
increased pulmonary vascular resistance.