Epinephrine's effect in varying concentrations on the end artery organ in an animal model.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the concentration of epinephrine that causes end artery necrosis and ischemia.


METHODS
An experimental study.


METHODS
Animal Laboratory of Khordad Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from September 2007 to June 2008.


METHODS
This study was done on 54 ear flaps from 9 rabbits [9 (rabbits) x2 (ears) x3 (splits) =54] divided into three groups of 18 ear flaps each. Nine of the ear flaps were randomized as control and nine of them were randomized as study group. The different concentrations of epinephrine and lidocaine 1% were injected in study groups but only 1% lidocaine was injected in control groups. Study group 1 received 1/200000, group 2 received 1/100000 and group 3 received 1/500000 concentration of epinephrine respectively.


RESULTS
There was no evidence of necrosis in the control and study groups 1 and 2. However, 4 out of 9 of the ear flaps showed clear evidence of tissue necrosis in group 3.


CONCLUSIONS
Injecting epinephrine in 1/200000 and 1/100000 concentrations had no side effect for the end artery of the rabbit ear flaps, but 1/50000 concentration is shown that it can cause tissue necrosis. Further studies need to be done in order to find out the effects of epinephrine with the same concentrations on the human end artery.
Hormozi
Abdoljalil Kalantar
AK
Department of Plastic Surgery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Zendehnam
Hamid
H
Hosseini
Seyed Nejat
SN
Rasti
Mehdi
M
Rostami
Khalil
K
Hamraz
Hossein
H
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004423:Ear / Q000098:blood supply*; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000633:toxicity*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000633:toxicity; D023421:Models, Animal; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000633:toxicity*
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D008012:Lidocaine; D004837:Epinephrine