Myocardial bethanidine kinetics after single-dose intravenous infusion: correlation with plasma kinetics in closed-chest dogs

: Myocardial and plasma bethanidine kinetics were determined in five dogs after an intravenous dose of 6 mg/kg/10 min. Serial myocardial drug concentrations were determined from endomyocardial samples obtained by transvenous biopsies between 15 min and 72 h. Tissue and plasma samples were assayed by gas-liquid chromatography. Bethanidine was rapidly concentrated in myocardium within 15 min. Tissue/plasma drug ratios averaged 131 +/- 35 between 15 min and 2 h and 53 +/- 10 between 6 and 48 h. Parallel biexponential decay then occurred for both tissue and plasma compartments; the terminal half-life approximated 16 h. Based on differences in rates of myocardial drug kinetics, the cardiac antifibrillatory effects of bethanidine may occur more rapidly than those of bretylium.