Effect of a pneumatic antishock garment on drug delivery via distal venous access

We examined the effect of an inflated pneumatic antishock garment (PASG) on simulated drug delivery through a distally placed venous catheter, during both normal flow and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A PASG device was applied to anesthetized mongrel dogs and was inflated to 60 mm Hg. A small bolus of radionuclide was injected through an intravenous catheter placed distal to the PASG. Emission counts were made over both ventricles during conditions of normal flow and then during CPR following cardiac arrest. Mean times from injection to peak counts were determined. A control group of animals with central venous catheters but no PASG was studied similarly. There were no clinically appreciable differences between groups during normal flow. During CPR the PASG animals showed a mean delay of 90 seconds to the left ventricle peak. This difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that, in this canine model, acceptable delivery of drugs can be obtained by venous infusion into a limb with a PASG inflated.