[Cardiovascular changes caused by atropine in epidural-, halothane- and neuroleptanaesthesia (author's transl)]

The authors could verify the heart rate increasing effect of atropine. The different sympathetic and parasympathetic activity caused by the method of operation and the kind of anaesthesia had a modifying effect on the heart frequency increase. In contrast to a small heart rate increase in halothaneanaesthesia, the increase in epidural- and neuroleptanaesthesia was higher. In addition medical treatment with pancuronium modified the effect of atropine. The frequency increase in patients who had got pancuronium was significantly smaller - the basic rate being higher - than in patients who hadn't got pancuronium. Those patients reacted vice versa. The authors found out that by giving 1 mg of atropine a maximum effect could be expected and that there couldnt be spoken of an overdosage.