Drug disposition under hyperbaric and hyperbaric hyperoxic conditions: meperidine in the dog

Patients being treated for a variety of conditions with hyperbaria or hyperbaric hyperoxia, and ill or injured deep sea divers being decompressed, may require concomitant drug therapy. This study examined the possible effects of those conditions on the distribution and elimination of meperidine, using the dog as a model. The drug was administered to six mixed-breed dogs as a 1.4 mg/kg i.v. bolus at 1 ATA breathing air, at 2.8 ATA breathing 100% O2, and at 6 ATA breathing air, and followed by serial blood sampling for 3 h. Statistical analysis showed no effects of hyperbaria or hyperbaric hyperoxia on the elimination half-life, total plasma clearance, or volume of distribution. These studies demonstrated marked differences between man and the dog in the elimination of meperidine. This probably means these results cannot be extrapolated to man.