Refractory variant angina relieved by denopamine--a case report

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Variant angina is a severe condition often resistant to standard treatments like calcium antagonists and nitrates.
• Conventional therapies including alpha-blockers such as prazosin have also shown limited efficacy in refractory cases.

Observation:

• A 48-year-old male patient with severe variant angina refractory to multiple conventional treatments was administered denopamine.
• Denopamine, a selective adrenergic beta-1 agonist, was used as a therapeutic intervention.

Findings:

• The patient experienced rapid symptom relief and became symptom-free following denopamine treatment.
• The patient's lack of response to prazosin, an alpha-adrenergic blocker, was noted.

Implications:

• Denopamine demonstrates potential as an effective therapeutic agent for managing severe variant angina.
• The findings suggest that adrenergic beta-1 receptors, in addition to alpha receptors, are critically involved in coronary artery spasm in some patients.