[Effects of amrinone administered orally and by injection in heart failure]

Amrinone is a new positive inotropic agent available in oral and intravenous preparations. Twelve patients with Stage III cardiac failure of ischaemic (6 cases), myocardial (5 cases) or valvular (1 case) origin, were treated with oral amrinone. The protocol included a complete clinical, radiological and biochemical work-up, an exercise stress test, cardiac catheterisation and echocardiography before entering the trial. The patients underwent clinical examination, stress testing and echocardiography at the 4th, 8th and 12th week of treatment with 300 mg daily of amrinone. Two patients had to be withdrawn from the trial because of thrombocytopaenia; one patient deteriorated and eventually died of pulmonary embolism. There was a marked improvement in the 8 patients who achieved the trial, with an average gain of 40 watts on exercise testing, a mean reduction of 16 mm Hg in diastolic pulmonary pressures, and an increase of 11 p. 100 in EF and velocity of circumferential fibre shortening. Four additional patients were given intravenous amrinone (1 cc/kg relayed with an infusion of 1 ng/kg/min). Ventricular end-diastolic pressures fell by 9 mm Hg and cardiac index rose by 1.02 1/min/m2. Tolerance was good with no arrhythmic complications or significant variations in mean arterial pressure or heart rate. Although certain reserves have to be made with regards of tolerance of oral amrinone, the drug would seem to be useful and effective in the intravenous form. Further studies are under way.