Glucagon, a substance originally thought exclusively to play a part in carbohydrate metabolism, has during recent years been found to possess several other important properties. Among them are influence on tubular reabsorption of electrolytes,1 on adrenal medullary secretion,2 on calcium metabolism,3 on gastric secretion,4 and on gastrointestinal motility.5,6
During the last decade, cardiovascular effects have been added to the increasing list of glucagon characteristics. Shoemaker et al7 reported an increase in liver blood flow after glucagon administration. They used the sulfobromophthalein (Bromosulphthalein [BSP]) sodium technique to study the hepatic blood flow. The flow increase paralleled the blood glucose rise. Merrill et al8 demonstrated a vasodilatory effect of glucagon on the splanchnic vascular bed in perfusion experiments. Parmley et al9 reported an inotropic and chronotropic effect on cardiac activity following glucagon injection in man. In a recent publication, Kock et al,10 using