Interaction and Fate of Massive Doses of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine

Massive doses of Epinephrine (E), Norepinephrine (NE) or a mixture of both were administered intravenously to intact anaesthetized dogs. Serial determinations of plasma catecholamine levels were performed, as were vessel wall assays. Injection of either, or both, brought about highly significant rises in plasma levels of both attributed to the metabolic fate of NE and the NE releasing effect of E. NE and E vessel wall contents rose significantly over baseline values, without however any quantitative correlation to changes in plasma catecholamines.