Acute phencyclidine poisoning in the unanesthetized dog: pathophysiologic profile of acute lethality

Phencyclidine HCl was infused intravenously (1.0 mg/kg/min) to unanesthetized mongrel dogs until death. All animals experienced tonic-clonic convulsions (mean convulsive dose: 4.7 +/- 0.3 mg/kg) which lasted until shortly before death (mean lethal dose: 49.8 +/- 2.5 mg/kg). Significant increases in heart rate, arterial blood pressures, cardiac output, body temperature, and arterial pCO2 were observed in all animals. Significant reductions from pre-drug control values were observed in total peripheral resistance, arterial pH, arterial pO2, and respiratory minute volume. Blood lactate, oxygen uptake, and plasma glucose levels rose to values significantly higher than pre-drug control values then declined during the latter phase of the experiment, glucose levels decreased to final values lower than control. Animals appeared to die of primary respiratory failure, which was exacerbated by hyperthermia, and which resulted in final cardiovascular collapse.