Naloxone infusion in acutely narcotized rabbits

A study of naloxone infusion and naloxone bolus treatment was conducted in twenty one naive rabbits acutely overdosed with 100 mg/kg of morphine sulfate. The parameters studied were arterial blood gas values, PaO₂, PaCO₂, pH, HCO₃ ^-, base excess, and O₂ saturation) respiratory rates and trends, and pupil size. The results of the arterial blood gas determinations showed naloxone infusion to be as effective as bolus naloxone treatment in four of the six parameters. In addition, the infusion of naloxone was superior to the bolus treatment in two of the six parameters. The respiratory rates showed that the infusion of naloxone produced higher rates than bolus treatment of two time intervals. Also, the respiratory rate trends were much more consistent in the infusion group. No comparison was made of the pupil sizes since they provided no consistent results.