E. coli endotoxin shock in the dog; treatment with lidocaine or indomethacin.

1 Dogs treated with lidocaine (1 mg kg-1 h-1) or indomethacin (1.5 mg/kg) before and after an LD60 dose (1 mg/kg) of E. coli endotoxin survived for at least 72 h. 2 Although all dogs in both treated groups survived, only those treated with indomethacin were significantly protected against the fall in the arterial blood pressure 1 to 2 min following endotoxin administration. 3 Endotoxin increased the plasma prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) concentration in the control and lidocaine-treated groups, however, no increase was observed with indomethacin treatment. 4 Neither lidocaine nor indomethacin alone had any significant effect on the parameters measured in this model. 5 Following the administration of endotoxin, lidocaine-treated animals had significantly decreased plasma fibrinogen concentrations when compared to the other groups. 6 This study suggests that lidocaine, a local anaesthetic and a drug widely used for cardiac arrhythmias, might offer protection in endotoxin shock.