Effect of selective and non-selective beta-adrenoreceptor blockade on calf blood flow in hypertensive patients

1. Dose-response curves of isoprenaline were constructed in nine hypertensive patients before and after either propranolol or metoprolol. 2. The decrease of diastolic blood pressure and increase of heart rate with isoprenaline were significantly more inhibited by propranolol than by metoprolol. 3. The increase in calf blood flow with isoprenaline was significantly more depressed after propranolol than after metoprolol. 4. The results suggest that the response of the vessels in the limbs to sympathetic stimulation is much less affected after metoprolol than after propranolol.