Ventricular Fibrillation Following a Rapid Fall in Alveolar Carbon Dioxide Concentration

Abstract

Ventricular fibrillation and death have been produced in 11 of 15 dogs by a rapid reduction in alveolar CO2 tension following 4 hrs. of breathing 30-40% CO2 in O2. Cardiac arrhythmias appeared in the 4 dogs that survived. 2 dogs subjected to the same high CO2 for the same length of time showed no cardiac arrythmias and survived when the alveolar CO2 tension was reduced slowly. Since high alveolar CO2 tensions may develop during anesthesia, a rapid reduction in alveolar CO2 tension might be related to some of the unexplained post-anesthesia circulatory failures that occur.