Haemodynamic effects of a sixty minute infusion of dopamine hydrochloride in horses anaesthetised with halothane

Summary To describe the haemodynamic effects of a 60 min infusion of dopamine 4 pg/kg bwt/min during halothane anaesthesia, 7 mature Thoroughbred horses were studied. The infusion began 1 h after induction of anaesthesia by romifidine (100 μg/kg) and ketamine (2.2 mg/kg bwt). Throughout the period of dopamine infusion and for 30 min after its discontinuation, the horses were ventilated by intermittent positive pressure to maintain PaCO2 between 4.6‐5.4 KPa. Inspired halothane concentration was adjusted to maintain an end tidal halothane concentration of 0.9%. Haemodynamic variables were measured using intracardiac strain gauge transducers sited in the left and right ventricle, aorta, and pulmonary artery. Left ventricular pressure was differentiated to obtain maximal rate of increase of intraventricular pressure (LVdp/dtmax). Transoesophageal Doppler echocardiography was performed to measure maximum aortic blood flow velocity (vmax) and acceleration (dv/dtmax), left ventricular velocity time integral (vTI) and cardiac output (CO), and left ventricular pre‐ejection period (PEP) and ejection time (ET). Measurements were made during the 60 min infusion, and for 30 min after the infusion was discontinued. Infusion of dopamine 4 μg/kg/min significantly decreased mean aortic pressure, while left and right ventricular end‐diastolic pressure and mean pulmonary artery pressure remained unchanged. There was a small, but significant, increase in heart rate during dopamine infusion. Maximum acceleration of aortic blood flow, CO and vTI were also significantly increased by dopamine infusion. Maximal rate of increase of intraventricular pressure (LVdp/dtmax) was significantly decreased 10 min after commencing infusion, but then returned to baseline for the remainder of the study. Left ventricular pre‐ejection period (PEP) decreased during dopamine infusion whilst ejection time (ET) significantly increased. All measured variables except LVET had returned to baseline values within 30 min of discontinuing the infusion. This study demonstrated beneficial effects of dopamine infusion upon left ventricular systolic function. However, the therapeutic value of the drug is likely to be limited in clinical anaesthesia due to the simultaneous falls in arterial blood pressure which accompany its administration.