Cardiovascular circulatory adjustments and renal function in acute heart failure

This study aims to clarify the neurohumoral regulation of cardiovascular circulatory adjustments and to analyze changes in renal function and their relationship to cardiovascular hemodynamics in the early stage of heart failure. Cardiac and peripheral (calf segment) hemodynamics, neurohumoral factors and renal function were investigated in totally 139 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Capacitance vessel constriction was observed in patients with uncomplicated AMI (Killip-I, Forrester HS-I) and constriction of capacitance and resistance vessels in patients complicated by heart failure (Killip II, Forrester HS-II) or cardiogenic shock (Killip III-IV, Forrester HS-IV). Augmented sympathoadrenal discharge significantly related to the degree of pump dysfunction (elevation of heart rate, central venous pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and decrease of stroke volume index (SVI] and activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system significantly related to fall in tissue perfusion pressure (mean blood pressure and calf vascular resistance) would be a possible mechanism for these compensatory mechanisms. However these would contribute to excessive vasoconstriction in limbs resulting in exercise intolerance or renal glomerular function impairment. The derangement of creatinine clearance, serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen and beta 2-microglobulin were related to Killip classification, and it was clarified that PCWP tended to elevate more in patients with preexisting renal function disturbance, and when cardiac output (CO) depressed much lower, reduction of CO per se caused more severe prerenal renal insufficiency. That is, there were significant correlations between renal function parameters and cardiovascular hemodynamics. The Cardio-Renal Subset (CRS) was originally developed according to the initial SVI and Scr, and it was demonstrated that the CRS would be of definite predictive value in early identification of high risk patients.