Trimetaphan camsilate (INN) or trimethaphan camsylate (USAN), trade name Arfonad, is a sympatholytic drug used in rare circumstances to lower blood pressure.
The ciliary muscle of the eye functions to round the lens for accommodation and is controlled mainly by parasympathetic system input. With administration of a ganglion-blocking drug, the ciliary muscle cannot contract (cycloplegia) and the patient loses the ability to focus their eyes.
Trimetaphan has a strong effect on the cardiovascular system. The size of blood vessels is primarily controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. Loss of sympathetic system input to the blood vessels causes them to get larger (vasodilation) which has the effect of lowering blood pressure. Postural hypotension is a common side effect of such drugs. Trimethaphan causes a histamine release which further lowers blood pressure. Effects on the heart include a decreased force of contraction and an increase in heart rate (tachycardia). Reflexive tachycardia can be diminished or undetected because trimetaphan is also blocking the sympathetic ganglia innervating the heart.
The motility of the gastrointestinal tract is regulated by the parasympathetic system, and blockage of this input results in diminished motility and constipation.
A rare side effect of trimethaphan administration is sudden respiratory arrest. The mechanism behind it is unknown, as trimethaphan does not appear to block neuromuscular transmission, and respiratory arrest is not an expected consequence of ganglionic blockage.[2]
Therapeutic uses
The therapeutic uses of trimetaphan are very limited due to the competition from newer drugs that are more selective in their actions and effects produced. It is occasionally used to treat a hypertensive crisis and dissecting aortic aneurysm, to treat pulmonary edema, and to reduce bleeding during neurosurgery.
^Dale RC, Schroeder ET (July 1976). "Respiratory paralysis during treatment of hypertension with trimethaphan camsylate". Archives of Internal Medicine. 136 (7): 816–8. doi:10.1001/archinte.1976.03630070060018. PMID938175.
Kling TF, Wilton N, Hensinger RN, Knight PR (April 1986). "The influence of trimethaphan (Arfonad)-induced hypotension with and without spine distraction on canine spinal cord blood flow". Spine. 11 (3): 219–24. doi:10.1097/00007632-198604000-00007. PMID3715622. S2CID24029902.
Petrides G, Maneksha F, Zervas I, Carasiti I, Francis A (March 1996). "Trimethaphan (Arfonad) control of hypertension and tachycardia during electroconvulsive therapy: a double-blind study". Journal of Clinical Anesthesia. 8 (2): 104–9. doi:10.1016/0952-8180(95)00192-1. PMID8695090.
Tewfik GI, Wells BG (July 1957). "The use of arfonad for the alleviation of cardio-vascular stress following electro-convulsive therapy". The Journal of Mental Science. 103 (432): 636–44. doi:10.1192/bjp.103.432.636. PMID13449573.