Effects of slow infusion of a low dosage of endotoxin on systemic haemodynamics in conscious horses.

Abstract

The effects of intravenous (iv) infusion of endotoxin for 60 mins at a cumulative dosage of 0.03 micrograms/kg bodyweight on systemic arterial, right atrial and pulmonary arterial pressures, heart rate, cardiac output, and derived pulmonary vascular resistance and total peripheral vascular resistance were compared to the effects of iv infusion of saline solution in four healthy horses. Heart rate was increased significantly after endotoxin infusion, although diastolic arterial pressure, systolic arterial pressure, electronically averaged arterial pressure, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, and right atrial pressure did not change significantly. Average pulmonary arterial pressure was increased significantly by endotoxin infusion. This was accompanied by a trend toward increased diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (P = 0.1), systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (P = 0.08) and pulmonary vascular resistance (P = 0.07). These results suggest that low dosages of endotoxin produce pulmonary hypertension without causing hypotensive, hypodynamic shock.