[Effect of propranolol and alcohol on hemodynamics and fatality in the rat]

In rats, diastolic and systolic pressure-volume correlations of the intact heart in situ were recorded under control conditions and after various amounts of propranolol and ethanol given intravenously. Besides the cardio-depressant effect of propranolol, there is an additional dose-dependent effect caused by ethanol. The administration of propranolol or ethanol alone, even in high doses, causes no mortality; the combination of both drugs even in low doses is associated with a lethality of about 40%. Only few comparable clinical findings have been presented.