[Non-invasive effects of cigarette smoking on left ventricular function at rest and with exercise in normal...

The effect of cigarette smoking on systolic time intervals at rest, with volume overload and with dynamic exercise was studied in nine healthy cigarette smokers. For heart rate, PEP, LVET and blood pressure, reactions to smoking demonstrated considerable interindividual variations with comparable work loads and volume loads. More than half of the subjects developed significant left ventricular dysfunction by these parameters after smoking ten cigarettes. The negative inotropic effect was felt to be caused in these subjects by carbon monoxide. The remaining subjects did not show left ventricular dysfunction with smoking. In these subjects the stimulating effect of nicotine on the nervous system was covering the negative inotropic effect of carboxy hemoglobin.