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Almitrine

  • Chapter
Diseases of the Human Carotid Body

Abstract

Patients with chronic obstructive airways disease frequently exhibit alveolar hypoventilation with associated hypoxaemia and hypercarbia. They are commonly in a state of chronic respiratory failure and acute exacerbations brought about by respiratory infections may further impair their blood gas levels. Centrally acting respiratory stimulants such as doxapram have been used in an attempt to improve blood gases, but with limited clinical success and many side effects including stimulation of the central nervous system with ensuing convulsions, gastrointestinal upsets, systemic hypertension, bronchospasm and increased consumption of oxygen due to overactivity of skeletal muscle (Powles et al. 1983). Long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy is more successful but this is both expensive and onerous for the patients. A third theoretical possibility to improve oxygenation of the blood is to stimulate the carotid bodies with a drug which could directly improve ventilation without the risk of central nervous system disturbances. Such a drug is almitrine bismesylate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Liverpool Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Duncan Building, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Donald Heath DSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPEd, FRCPath (George Holt Professor of Pathology Honorary Consultant Pathologist)

  2. Department of Pathology, Duncan Building, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Paul Smith BSc, Phd (Senior Lecturer)

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  1. Donald Heath DSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPEd, FRCPath
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© 1992 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Heath, D., Smith, P. (1992). Almitrine. In: Diseases of the Human Carotid Body. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1874-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1874-9_13

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