Nicorandil and cardiovascular performance in patients with coronary artery disease

To establish the cardiovascular profile of nicorandil in patients with coronary artery disease, we recently conducted three studies at our institution. In two groups of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization, the effects of 20 mg nicorandil sublingually (s.l.) on, first, left ventricular hemodynamics (n = 10) and, second, coronary vasodilatation (n = 11) were investigated. In the first group, despite a significant decrease of 12% in left ventricular systolic pressure, heart rate did not increase significantly after nicorandil. Both left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (-43%) and the time constant of early isovolumic relaxation (-11%) decreased, whereas peak Vce and Vmax increased (+19%) (all significantly). In the second group, as mean aortic pressure decreased (-13%, p < 0.05), coronary sinus blood flow did not change significantly, and calculated coronary vascular resistance tended to decrease (-10%). Myocardial oxygen consumption decreased significantly by 14%. Quantitative coronary angiography confirmed a significant increase in the mean diameter of nonstenotic coronary artery segments (+ 14%, n = 43) and, importantly, in mean obstruction diameter of stenotic segments (+ 14%, n = 7) after s.l. nicorandil. In a third continuing study, the effects of intracoronary (i.c.) nicorandil (6 micrograms/kg) and isosorbide dinitrate (2 mg) on the epicardial coronary arteries were investigated in 10 patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. In nonstenotic coronary artery segments, mean coronary diameter increased significantly after either nicorandil (+ 12%) or isosorbide dinitrate (+ 17%). In stenotic segments, however, where the increase in obstruction diameter (+ 20%) after i.c. nicorandil was significant, the 8% increase of isosorbide dinitrate was not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)