Fig. 5.

Effects of nitrite infusion into cardiac arrest patients. (A) Hemodynamic effects (mean arterial blood pressure, blue, on top and heart rate, red, below) and (B) plasma or whole blood nitrite levels are shown over a 120 min period in cardiac arrest patients who were randomized in a 3:1 ratio to receive nitrite or placebo in a double-blind fashion. Each row represents one patient. The infusion consisted of 1 mg nitrite in 100 ml saline (n = 3) or 100 ml saline placebo (n = 1) and was infused over the initial 5 min represented by the bar on the top of each graph. No evidence of significant hypotension or tachycardia was noted at this dose. Nitrite levels increased at most three fold during the monitoring period in 3/4 patients (likely those dosed with active drug) but the magnitude of the increase did not exceed five times the baseline.