Multiform Ventricular Tachycardia Due to the of Aminophylline and Halothane Interaction

INCE halothane is a potent bronchodilaS tor,l it is an acceptable choice, perhaps even the best choice for anesthetizing patients with asthma.2 However, halothane “sensitizes” the heart to exogenous catecholamines.3 The latter drugs are commonly used to treat asthma. Xanthines are effective bronchodilators because they produce betaadrenergic stimulation in two ways. They cause release of norepinephrine“5 and they also inhibit breakdown of cyclic 3’5’ AMP,6 the mediator of many of the actions of betaadrenergic agonists.7 Therefore, the combined use of halothane and xanthines in asthmatic patients may lead to cardiac arrhythmias. We are unaware of published reports of adverse effects from this interaction. This dearth of reports may be due to lack of significant drug interaction despite the theoretical possibility or simply because the drug combination is usually avoided by most clinicians.