[Calcium antagonists and the regional contractility of the left ventricle in stenocardia patients]

The overall and regional left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) was assessed by rest-exercise equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography in 33 patients (mean age 52.3 +/- 10.3 years) given a single dose of calcium-channel blockers (CCB). Of these, 18 patients were administered 20 mg of nifedipine and 15 patients received 80 mg of verapamil. According to the antianginal effects (AE) of nifedipine and verapamil at exercise all the patients were divided into 4 groups: 9 were on nifedipine, 10 on verapamil with AE (groups I and 3), 9 were on nifedipine, 5 on verapamil without AE (groups 2 and 4). After administration of a single dose of nifedipine and verapamil the overall rest EF increased in group I from 55.5 +/- 6.1 to 65.0 +/- 7.7%, in group 3, from 59.8 +/- 4.8 to 67.4 +/- 5.4%, in group 2, from 55.5 +/- 9.8 to 60.9 +/- 9.9%, and in group 4, from 54.8 +/- 5.4 to 59.6 +/- 4.5%. The exercise EF increased only in patients with AE of CCB (from 51.5 +/- 4.2 to 64.6 +/- 7.9%, group 1) and from 54.8 +/- 6.2 to 61.1 +/- 5.7%, group 4). In patients with AE of CCB (groups 1 and 3), the baseline values of the regional EF before drug administration decreased from rest to exercise in ischemic segments and that decrease ranged from 9 to 17%, while in patients of groups 2 and 4, from 1 to 8%. After administration of CCB insignificant improvement of the regional rest-exercise EF was recorded in groups 1 and 3 in the formerly ischemic segments.