Immediate effects of intravenous cocaine on the thoracic aorta and coronary arteries. A transesophageal echocardiographic study.
STUDY OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN: Arterial vasoconstriction is thought to play a role in the etiology of cocaine-induced cardiovascular complications, but little is known about the immediate effects of cocaine on the thoracic aorta and coronary arteries. To examine these effects, we used transesophageal echocardiography to examine the thoracic aorta and coronary arteries before and immediately after intravenous (i.v.) cocaine (1.2 mg/kg) in 15 subjects.


RESULTS
Immediately after cocaine infusion, average heart rate, systolic BP, and double product were increased compared with baseline (22%, 15%, 35%, respectively). There was no significant change in the diameters of the ascending aorta (27.5 vs 27.1 mm; p = 0.85), the descending aorta (19.8 vs 20.4 mm; p = 0.62), or the left main coronary artery (4.3 vs 4.7 mm; p = 0.15). However, there was a trend for an increase in coronary blood flow immediately after cocaine (226 vs 309 mL/min; p = 0.10).


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that in the 15 subjects studied, there was no evidence of thoracic aorta of coronary artery vasoconstriction immediately after i.v. cocaine. Instead, we found that the diameters of the thoracic aorta and the left main coronary artery were unchanged, and that there was a trend for augmentation of coronary artery blood flow.
Eisenberg
M J
MJ
Department of Medicine, John Henry Mills Echocardiography Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0984, USA.
Yakel
D L
DL
Mendelson
J
J
Redberg
R F
RF
Jones
R T
RT
Foster
E
E
D000328:Adult; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects
D003042:Cocaine