The effect of aminosteroid, ORG 6001, on hypothermia induced ventricular fibrillation in the cat.

1 The effect of the antidysrhythmic aminosteroid, ORG 6001, on hypothermia-induced ventricular fibrillation was investigated in cats anaesthetized with pentobarbitone. 2 ORG 6001 (total dose, 10 mg/kg, by intravenous injection) reduced both the incidence of fibrillation and the temperature at which it occurred. The number of animals that survived to 16 degrees C was increased. 3 This protective effect of ORG 6001 could not be explained by changes in respiratory acidosis, plasma concentrations of sodium and potassium, or by changes in the action potential of excised hypothermic ventricular muscle. The hypothermia-induced elevation of blood lactate was less in cats treated with the aminosteroid. 4 Over a limited temperature range, ORG 6001 prolonged the P wave and QRS duration and shortened the QTc interval. ST segment elevation was slightly reduced in the drug-treated group. J deflections were observed but were not correlated with the development of fibrillation. 5 The onset of fibrillation was not considered to be due to temperature differences between the myocardium and arterial blood or between localized areas of the left ventricular wall.