The effect of intravenous clonidine on the forearm circulation

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Abstract
The effect of two doses of clonidine on forearm blood flow was compared with an inert treatment using mercury strain gauge venous occlusive plethysmography. In the clonidine treated groups, forearm blood flow was unaffected in the resting state, but decreased sharply with tracheal intubation. In the saline group, blood flow increased with intubation. Forearm vascular resistance increased in the clonidine treated groups, but decreased in the saline group. These results suggest that clonidine has a peripheral action in anaesthetised normotensive individuals, and is not a purely centrally acting drug.