The Significance of the Cardiovascular Changes in the Pathophysiology of Severe Dumping Provoked by Apomorphine

Abstract

During a severe dumping attack provoked by 0.5 mg apomorphine s. c. in 7 patients after subtotal gastrectomy the following parameters were measured: cardiac output, arterial blood pressure, peripheral vascular resistance, central venous pressure, circulating protein mass, plasma volume, haematocrit, colloid osmotic pressure, osmolarity, and blood sugar. No significant alterations were registered. As apomorphine provokes all the essential dumping symptoms which are provoked by glucose (50g/250 ml water), these investigations contribute to raise serious doubt as to the causal nature of the cardiovascular alterations in the pathophysiological mechanism of dumping.

Key-words:

• Apomorphine
• blood pressure
• blood sugar
• cardiac output
• central venous pressure
• colloid osmotic pressure
• dumping syndrome
• osmolarity
• peripheral vascular resistance
• plasma volume