Droperidol inhibits the effects of intravenous ketamine on central hemodynamics and myocardial oxygen consumption in patients with generalized atherosclerotic disease.

A 2-mg/kg dose of ketamine was administered intravenously to 16 patients with generalized atherosclerotic disease. Eight patients were given 200 mu/kg of droperidol intravenously 10 min before ketamine administration; eight patients not given droperidol served as controls. Central hemodynamics, coronary flow (thermodilution technique) and myocardial oxygen, lactate, hypoxanthine, and catecholamine balances were studied. In control patients, ketamine increased mean blood pressure by 42%, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure by 144%, mean right atrial pressure by 60%, heart rate by 15%, and systemic vascular resistance by 40% without changes in cardiac index, stroke volume index, or left ventricular stroke work index. These data indicate that cardiac performance did not increase in parallel with the rise in afterload. However, the 50% increase in myocardial oxygen demand was associated with a 48% increase in coronary blood flow without changes in coronary vascular resistance or myocardial oxygen extraction. Augmented sympathetic activity was manifested by 397% and 164% increases in plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, respectively. The hemodynamic and cardiometabolic effects of ketamine were abolished when patients were pretreated with droperidol. The increase in plasma epinephrine levels was likewise inhibited by droperidol; significantly lower plasma norepinephrine levels also were observed. These findings suggest that droperidol inhibits the cardiovascular effects of ketamine by a centrally mediated reduction in sympathetic activity and by peripheral alpha receptor blockade.