The Effects of Intravenous Aminophylline upon the Coronary Blood-Oxygen Exchange

Abstract

The effects of intravenous injections of aminophylline on the coronary blood flow, cardiac oxygen consumption, cardiac work, and cardiac rate were studied by catheterization of the right ventricle and coronary sinus in anesthetized dogs. There was no substantial increase in coronary flow when cardiac activity increased following injection of the drug; this suggested that the oxygenation of the myocardium in general was not improved. Further studies on coronary blood-oxygen saturations substantiated this concept as pertaining to the infarcted heart of dogs as well as the normal. Nitroglycerin however increased general myocardial oxygenation in normal hearts.