Abstract
The lower esophageal sphincter is thought to be an important mechanism in the prevention of reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus and therefore there has been considerable interest in changes in LOS magnitude produced by drugs encountered during anesthetic practice. The effects of atropine and metoclopramide on the lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LOSP) were studied in 12 healthy volunteers using esophageal pressure transducers. Atropine decreased LOSP significantly at 5 min after i.v. injection (P < 0.005) and this change was sustained for 60 min. Metoclopramide increased LOSP significantly at 3 min after administration i.v. (P < 0.05) and this change was sustained for 40 min. Following consecutive administration of the drugs the effects of atropine predominated.

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