Small-dose naloxone combined with epinephrine improves the resuscitation of cardiopulmonary arrest.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate if naloxone combined with epinephrine can increase the resuscitation rate in cardiac arrest rat models induced by asphyxia.

METHODS

Twenty-four rats were allocated into SA group (treated with 1 mL of saline, n = 8), EP group (treated with epinephrine 5 microg/100g, n = 8), and NA group (treated with epinephrine 5 microg/100g in combination with naloxone100 microg/100g, n = 8). Eight minutes after asphyxia, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated, and different drugs were used in different groups at the same time.

RESULTS

Rates of restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were 25%, 75%, and 87.5% in SA, EP, and NA groups, respectively. The rate of ROSC in the NA group was significantly higher than that in the other 2 experimental groups (P < .05). The average resuscitation time in the NA group was much lower than that in the other 2 cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The administration of epinephrine alone may increase early resuscitation rate in a cardiac arrest model compared with placebo group. Moreover, the combination of naloxone and epinephrine may significantly increase resuscitation rate. The duration of ROSC in combination group is much shorter than that in the other 2 groups.