Effect of elimination of hepatic circulation on cyclopropane-epinephrine ventricular tachycardia and arterial plasma potassium in dog

that the arterial plasma potassium is elevated by an intravenous injection of epinephrine. This response to epinephrine could be markedly inhibited by elimi-nating the circulation of the liver. O’Brien et al (1953), in studying the arterial potassium and cardiac responses to epinephrine in dogs anesthetized with cyclo-propane, found that there was an abrupt rise in arterial potassium beginning between 20 and 40 seconds after the initiation of the epinephrine injection, reaching a maximum value 100 per cent above the resting level between 60 and 80 seconds and falling rapidly back to the preinjection level by 180 seconds. Ventricular tachycardia always appeared at the time of the rapid ascent of the potassium level and extended through the peak of the rise. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect on cyclopropane-epinephrine ventricular tachycardia of markedly inhibiting the arterial potassium rise by eliminating the liver from circulation. METHODS: Two series of experiments were carried out to exclude hepatic circulation. In the first series seven dogs were used. As a control, the effect of epinephrine on arteria