Hexamethonium reverses the lethal cardiopulmonary damages in a rat model of brainstem lesions mimicking fatal enterovirus 71 encephalitis

• Published in: Critical care medicine Vol. 41; no. 5; p. 1276
• Main Authors: Lu, Wen-Hsien, Hsieh, Kai-Sheng, Lu, Pei-Jung, Wu, Yi-Shan, Ho, Wen-Yu, Lai, Chi-Cheng, Wang, Jyh-Seng, Ger, Luo-Ping, Hsiao, Michael, Tseng, Ching-Jiunn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Biopsy, Needle; Brain Stem - drug effects; Brain Stem - pathology; Catecholamines - metabolism; Diagnosis, Differential; Disease Models, Animal; Encephalitis, Viral - complications; Encephalitis, Viral - drug therapy; Encephalitis, Viral - mortality; Encephalitis, Viral - pathology; Enterovirus A, Human - pathogenicity; Enterovirus Infections - complications; Enterovirus Infections - drug therapy; Enterovirus Infections - mortality; Enterovirus Infections - pathology; Ganglionic Blockers - administration & dosage; Hexamethonium - administration & dosage; Hypertension - etiology; Hypertension - pathology; Hypertension - prevention & control; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Pulmonary Edema - etiology; Pulmonary Edema - pathology; Pulmonary Edema - prevention & control; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Survival Rate

Among enterovirus 71 infections, brainstem encephalitis progressing abruptly to cardiac dysfunction and pulmonary edema causes rapid death within several hours. However, no currently known early indicators and treatments can monitor or prevent the unexpectedly fulminant course. We investigate the po...