Effects of vasoconstrictors used in local anesthesia upon isolated rat heart

Some reports have demonstrated that the vasoconstrictor effect of catecholamines may be amplified by felypressin. Thus, the association of felypressin and epinephrine with local anesthetics may be indicated to achieve more effective vasoconstrictor actions with fewer collateral effects from both the anesthetic and the vasoconstrictor. This study aimed to characterize the effects of felypressin and associations of felypressin and epinephrine upon the contraction force and the cardiac rate of the isolated rat heart (n=20) perfused by Langendorff's method. The following solutions were utilized: epinephrine, 4.5nmol; felypressin at doses of 0.5, 1.6 and 5.5IU and associations of felypressin at the same doses with 4.5nmol epinephrine. Contraction force and cardiac rate were recorded at 15, 30, 60 and 120s after the administration of each solution, and before the administration, a control measurement (time 0) was taken. Felypressin at a dose of 0.5IU did not have any effect upon the heart, but the doses of 1.6 and 5.5IU decreases the cardiac rate and the contraction force, respectively. Epinephrine and all of the felypressin and epinephrine associations produced increases in these parameters. The association of 0.5IU felypressin and 4.5nmol epinephrine promoted a similar effect to that of epinephrine (4.5nmol) alone up to 120s. The association of 1.6IU felypressin and 4.5nmol epinephrine increases the contraction force up to 60s. After the administration of the association of 5.5IU felypressin and 4.5nmol epinephrine this increase was observed up to just 30s. The cardiac rate values obtained after the administration of the associations of 1.6 and 5.5IU felypressin with 4.5nmol epinephrine were lower than those seen after the use of 4.5nmol epinephrine alone. In this study it was observed that the association of felypressin with epinephrine decreased the effects of epinephrine which increases the cardiac rate and the contraction force in the isolated rat heart.