Background: Agents with α-2 adrenoreceptor (AR) agonistic action have reportedly suppressed tachyarrhythmias.
Methods And Results: We hypothesized that α-2 AR agonists would have an inhibitory effect on abnormal repolarization-related ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTs). To test this hypothesis, the effects of 2 clinically available α-2 AR agonists (dexmedetomidine and clonidine) on the occurrence of VTs were assessed in a methoxamine-sensitized rabbit model of acquired long QT syndrome (Study 1: n=45).
Background: Anesthesia sometimes suppresses ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) resistant to conventional pharmacological treatment.
Methods And Results: To know (1) whether deep anesthesia inhibits abnormal repolarization-related VT and (2) if α2-adrenoreceptor (AR) agonistic action is associated with the antiarrhythmic effect of anesthetics, the incidence of VT in a rabbit model of acquired long QT syndrome using different anesthetic regimen was assessed. In Study 1 (n = 30), 15 rabbits were lightly anesthetized with ketamine (123 ± 46 mg/kg) and an α2-AR agonist, xylazine (9.