Dantrolene: Saving Canadian Pigs in Ventricular Fibrillation

Just a quick highlight of interesting translational research, this time aimed at improving survival post-ventricular fibrillation.

These authors hypothesized that, as VF is associated with impaired intracellular calcium cycling, perhaps blockade of an intracellular pathway may reduce refractoriness to defibrillation.  The agent?  Dantrolene – which acts upon the ryanodine receptor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Twenty-six Yorkshire pigs had VF induced, subsequently received dantrolene or normal saline, and finally CPR and defibrillation.  85% of dantrolene-treated pigs were successfully defibrillated compared with 39% of controls, and all dantrolene-treated pigs remained in organized rhythm.  An ex vivo rabbit-heart model also showed similar physiologic effects.

Perhaps dantrolene has a future as a component of ACLS protocols – only time, and further study, will tell.

“Dantrolene Improves Survival Following Ventricular Fibrillation by Mitigating Impaired Calcium Handling in Animal Models”
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/01/07/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005443.abstract