[Indoramin in severe cardiac insufficiency. Acute hemodynamic effectiveness]

Systemic peripheral resistance, right and left heart pressures, cardiac output and left ventricular ejection fraction were measured in 12 patients with severe heart failure (stages III-IV of the NYHA), before and after intravenous injection of indoramin (0.2-0.4 mg/kg bodyweight). Peripheral resistance decreased from a mean of 2738.5 to 1294.4 dyn X s X cm-5 (P less than 0.001), mean pulmonary artery pressure from 39.4 to 21.4 mm Hg (P less than 0.001), mean aortic pressure from 105.3 to 86.0 mm Hg (P less than 0.001), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure from 35.3 to 18.3 mm Hg (P less than 0.001), arterio-venous oxygen difference from 36.1 to 25.4% (P less than 0.001), while cardiac output rose from 2.1 to 3.3 l X min-1 X m-2 (P less than 0.001), and the ejection fraction increased from 29.0 to 42.5% (P less than 0.001). Heart rate remained nearly unchanged. There were no significant side effects, such as hypotension or arrhythmias. The results indicate that the parenteral injection of indoramin favourable influences haemodynamic parameters of patients in severe heart failure.