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(Hypertension. 1997;29:1114-1118.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
From the Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Center, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Correspondence to Virend K. Somers, MD, DPhil, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242-1081.
| Abstract |
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Key Words: carbon monoxide carboxyhemoglobin sympathetic nervous system smoking
| Introduction |
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Recent data from animal studies indicate that CO acts to modulate vasomotor control.13 14 15 16 CO in high concentrations may elicit vasodilation14 15 16 17 and sympathetic activation.15 16 Increased sympathetic activation and consequent hemodynamic effects of CO may have implications for understanding the relationship between atmospheric CO pollution and fatality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction.18 COHb levels of between 6% and 10% have been shown to decrease the threshold for ventricular fibrillation in monkeys with experimental acute myocardial infarction.19 20 Heavy cigarette smokers with coronary artery disease have an increased incidence of sudden death.21 The effects of modest carboxyhemoglobinemia, similar to that produced by cigarette smoking, on vascular resistance and sympathetic activity in humans are not known.
Smoking acutely increases BP, HR, vascular resistance, and cardiac output and decreases MSNA.22 23 This decrease in MSNA is thought to be baroreflex-mediated; however, smoking may decrease baroreflex sensitivity.22 This suggests that other mechanisms may contribute to the smoking-induced sympathetic inhibition. Indeed, a recent study in animals suggests that very low concentrations of CO may inhibit sympathetic outflow.13
We performed the present study to define the sympathetic and hemodynamic responses to CO inhalation and to determine whether carboxyhemoglobinemia may contribute to the acute sympathetic and hemodynamic effects of smoking.
| Methods |
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Measurements
HR was measured continuously by an
electrocardiogram. BP was measured each minute with an
automatic sphygmomanometer (Life Stat 200, Physio Control Corp). FBF
was measured by venous-occlusion plethysmography with an air
plethysmograph.24 Respiration was monitored by a
strain-gauge pneumotach and end-tidal PCO2 by a
Hewlett-Packard 47210A Capnometer. Minute ventilation was determined
with a Wright Respirometer (Ferraris Development & Engineering Co
Ltd).
Microneurography
Intraneural recording techniques were used to obtain
multifiber recordings of postganglionic MSNA. A tungsten
microelectrode (200-µm diameter shaft; 1- to 5-µm uninsulated tip)
was inserted into a sympathetic nerve fascicle of the peroneal nerve
posterior to the fibular head so that recordings of efferent
sympathetic traffic to muscle blood vessels could be obtained. A
reference electrode was inserted subcutaneously 1 to 3 cm from the
recording electrode. Electrodes were connected to a
preamplifier (gain, 1000) and amplifier (variable gain, 30 to 90).
Neural activity was fed to a band-pass filter (width, 0.7 to 2.0 kHz)
and resistance-capacitance integrating network (time constant, 0.1
second) to obtain a mean voltage neurogram. In all subjects, the muscle
sympathetic nerve recordings met standard
criteria.25 26 The technique is described in more detail
elsewhere.25 26
Protocol
Subjects were studied while they were in the supine position. An
intravenous catheter was placed in the left antecubital
vein for blood sampling. FBF was measured in the right arm. A
satisfactory sympathetic nerve recording site was
then achieved.
The gas mixtures (1000 and 100 ppm CO in room air, and room air as vehicle control) were stored in a Douglas bag. The subjects breathed from the Douglas bag through 1-inch tubing, an Otis-McKerrow valve, and a large mouthpiece. A nose clip was placed to ensure exclusive mouth breathing.
After instrumentation, 5 minutes of resting measurements were obtained while the subjects inhaled room air through the mouthpiece. Blood samples were taken for hemoglobin and COHb. Subjects then inhaled either room air or 1000 ppm CO from the Douglas bag for 30 minutes. Subjects then continued to inhale room air or 100 ppm CO for another 30 minutes. During the period of exposure to either CO or vehicle, measurements were obtained during 5 out of every 10 minutes, and COHb was measured every 10 minutes.
Assays
Immediately after the blood samples were taken, COHb was
determined by spectrophotometry with an OSM3 Hemoximeter (Radiometer
America Inc).
Analyses
Sympathetic neurograms, electrocardiograms, and
tracings of respiration and FBF were recorded on a
physiological recorder (model TW11, Gould Inc)
at a paper speed of 5 mm/s and simultaneously on a
computerized data-acquisition system (MacLab, AD Instruments Inc) in
combination with a Macintosh Quadra 950 Computer (Apple Computer Inc).
Sympathetic activity, which occurs in bursts, was identified while
blinded to the intervention (CO or vehicle). Sympathetic nerve activity
was measured as bursts per minute and as integrated activity, ie, the
integral of bursts of activity per minute. Interobserver and
intraobserver variabilities in identifying bursts were approximately
6% and 5%, respectively.25 FBF is expressed as
milliliters per minute per 100 mL forearm volume. FVR is calculated as
mean arterial pressure (measured by the automatic
sphygmomanometer) divided by FBF and is expressed in arbitrary
units.
For each variable (MSNA, HR, BP, FBF, etc), every 5-minute period of data collection was averaged to a single value. Data are presented as mean±SE.
For statistical analysis, we used repeated measures ANOVA with session as the between and time as the within factor. The key variable was the session-by-time interaction. Comparisons within a session (baseline versus inhalation) were made by post hoc tests (planned contrasts). A value of P<.05 was considered significant.
| Results |
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Baseline minute ventilation averaged 6.9±0.5 and 6.9±0.3 L/min during
CO and vehicle sessions, respectively, and was not changed by CO or
vehicle inhalation (Table
). Neither CO nor vehicle inhalation changed
end-tidal PCO2 (Table
).
BP, FBF, and HR did not change with CO or vehicle inhalation (Figs 2
and 3
, Table
). FVR increased slightly
during vehicle inhalation but did not change during CO inhalation; the
session-by-time interaction reached statistical significance. MSNA
during CO was not significantly different from that during vehicle
(Figs 2
and 3
, Table
).
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We further analyzed these data excluding the one subject who was an occasional smoker. In this subject, COHb levels at baseline on both study occasions were low (0.4%). Excluding this subject from the data analysis did not change any of the above findings. None of the measured variables (MSNA, BP, HR, and minute ventilation) changed significantly with CO compared with vehicle. The session-by-time interaction for FVR remained statistically significant.
| Discussion |
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The initial 30 minutes of CO inhalation produced an increase in COHb levels similar to that achieved by the successive smoking of 5 to 9 cigarettes.27 28 The plateau COHb levels maintained over 30 minutes were similar to those observed in people smoking 20 cigarettes or more a day.29 The plateau levels were also similar to those that have been associated with a decreased threshold for ventricular fibrillation in monkeys with experimental myocardial infarction.19 20 Neither the lower blood concentrations of CO during the first part of the inhalation nor the higher maintenance CO concentrations affected BP, HR, MSNA, or ventilation. The unchanged FVR with CO compared with the increase in FVR with vehicle may indicate a slight vasodilator action of CO, which opposes the vasoconstriction seen during the control or vehicle session. Thus, modest increases in COHb levels have little effect on sympathetic activity and hemodynamics. CO alone does not appear to contribute to the acute sympathetic and hemodynamic effects of smoking.
COHb levels as low as 5% cause a considerable loss in the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.1 Tissues most sensitive to oxygen deprivation, such as the brain and myocardium, are most affected by CO. Visual discrimination, motor coordination, and psychological performance are significantly impaired at COHb concentrations as low as 3%.4 30 31 32 Similar COHb levels may decrease exercise performance and induce arrhythmias in patients with coronary artery disease.4 6 7 8 9 It has been estimated that the consequent reduction in venous or tissue oxygen tension (not measured in our study) may be similar to that caused by the reduction of arterial oxygen tension at an altitude of 8000 to 10 000 feet.1 This level of hypoxia acutely elicits increases in HR, BP, ventilation, and MSNA.33
However, in contrast to hypoxia, modest carboxyhemoglobinemia has not been found to stimulate carotid or aortic chemoreceptors.14 34 35 COHb levels achieved in our study (approximately 8%) are well below levels that elicit increases in chemoreceptor afferent discharge (about 50%). The carotid chemoreceptors in particular, which are the chemoreflex sensors in humans, appear to be sensitive mainly to the partial pressure of oxygen and less sensitive to oxygen delivery.34 Unless an increase in COHb was induced abruptly,4 most studies have failed to show an effect of modest carboxyhemoglobinemia on resting BP, HR, cardiac output, or ventilation.1 5 11 12 Neither sympathetic activity nor vascular resistance was measured in these earlier studies. Evidence for sympathetic activation by CO arises thus far only from animal studies involving high CO concentrations.15 16
This is the first study directly assessing the effects of modest carboxyhemoglobinemia on sympathetic nerve activity and peripheral vascular resistance in humans. Smoking induces similar COHb levels27 28 29 and acutely increases BP, HR, cardiac output, and peripheral vascular resistance but decreases central sympathetic outflow.22 23 A recent animal study suggests that very low CO concentrations may reduce sympathetic outflow.13 Our data indicate that CO does not contribute to the reduction in central sympathetic outflow or to other hemodynamic changes seen with smoking in humans.
Our data also suggest that changes in sympathetic neural activity and hemodynamics are unlikely to explain the increase in fatality rates18 and decreased ventricular fibrillation threshold19 20 reported in association with increased COHb levels. Thus, other cardiovascular effects of CO, not measured in our study, are likely to be implicated in the effect of CO on myocardial infarction fatalities18 and ventricular fibrillation thresholds19 20 and in the effect of cigarette smoking increasing sudden death in people with coronary artery disease.21
Limitations of the present study include, first, the fact that except for one subject, only nonsmokers were studied. It is conceivable that smokers may show different reactions to increases in COHb. To our knowledge, there are no reports of different cardiovascular responses to CO in smokers versus nonsmokers. Second, the BP measurements have an accuracy of ±5 mm Hg and the FBF measurements have an error of 10% to 15%. Hence, small changes in BP and FBF may have been missed.
Conclusion
Modest increases in COHb levels, equivalent to that resulting from
cigarette smoking, do not have any appreciable acute effects on MSNA,
BP, HR, or FBF and thus are unlikely to contribute to the acute
sympathetic and hemodynamic effects of smoking in
healthy humans. The unchanged FVR with CO as opposed to a slight
increase in FVR with vehicle may indicate a peripheral
vasodilator action of even modest CO levels.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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| Acknowledgments |
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Received August 29, 1996; first decision September 20, 1996; accepted November 18, 1996.
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