The Effect of Levarterenol on Polarographic Myocardial Oxygen, the Epicardial Electrocardiogram and Contraction

Abstract

In open-chest dogs it was found that levarterenol produced primary RS-T segment depression in epicardial surface electrocardiograms together with increases of ventricular muscle contractility. These effects occurred in nonischemic, regionally ischemic, and hypoxic myocardium and were accompanied by rises of polarographic myocardial oxygen and a reddening of coronary venous blood in all but the lowest dosages. The findings are discussed in the light of the pertinent experimental literature.