Non-lethal, repeated testing, anesthetized canine model for the evaluation of effectiveness of new forms of prophylaxis and therapy for cyanide intoxication

Technical Report · Thu May 13 04:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:7113575

Von Bredow, J; Vick, J; Kaminskis, A; Brewer, T

Acute cyanide intoxication has most often been modeled through the bolos intravenous administration of a lethal amount of sodium or potassium cyanide which provides reproducible effects and represents the most severe challenge to any new form of prophylaxis and therapy. Inhalation of cyanide leads to a similar acute onset of toxic signs which is controlled by the rate and depth of respiration. The cyanide induced halt in respiration also halts the continued absorption of cyanide leading to a well defined, consistent end point of the amount of cyanide absorbed. Regardless of the abundance of cyanide in the ambient air, the casualty can only absorb cyanide during respiration. A slow intravenous infusion of cyanide which is continued only until respiratory arrest is achieved should define the same limit of cyanide intoxication. Cyanide intoxication defined by the amount of sodium cyanide infused to induce respiratory arrest (RA) in pentobarbital anesthetized dogs provides the basis for the development of a useful repeated testing animal model. Utilization of the RA yields a surrogate endpoint in the anesthetized dog model and provides a non-traumatic, reproducible procedure to estimate the lethal level of CN in each dog as well defining the protective effect of pretreatments and antidotes.

• Research Organization: Walter Reed Army Inst. of Research, Washington, DC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7113575
• Report Number(s): AD-P-008841/9/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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