Cardiovascular responses to the intravertebral artery injection of hypertonic contrast media in the dog.

Central nervous system-mediated cardiovascular responses to contrast medium (CM) are believed the result of a vagal or of a sympatholytic response; these effects may be enhanced in the setting of dehydration. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate neurally mediated effects of intravertebral artery CM injections on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and regional vascular resistances in euvolemic and dehydrated dogs. Animal preparation consisted of food and water ad libitum (n = 7) vs. 2.0 ml/kg i.m. furosemide and 48 hours thirsting (n = 7). During pentobarbital anesthesia BP, HR and renal and femoral blood flows were continuously monitored and meglumine iothalamate 60% (1 ml/kg) injected via a left vertebral artery catheter at 3 ml/sec; matched volume injections of normal saline served as control. Decreases in BP, HR and femoral and renal vascular resistances post CM injection were observed in the first 10 seconds before the CM had reached the systemic circulation. Significant decreases in both BP (-10.6 +/- 1.7%) and HR (-11.5 +/- 1.6%) post CM injection were noted with dehydration (n = 7). In the euvolemic dogs (n = 7) the decrease in HR (-7.3 +/- 2.0%) was significant but the decrease in BP (-3.9 +/- 2.4%) was not. The decrease in femoral vascular resistance was -22.7 +/- 9.0% in euvolemic dogs and -21.9 +/- 8.8% in dehydrated dogs. No significant changes were noted with the intravertebral artery injections of normal saline in control euvolemic and dehydrated animals. The early cardiovascular responses to CM suggest a direct action on the vasomotor center of the medulla. The effects on BP and HR are more severe in the dehydrated than in the euvolemic state.