[Effects of almitrine on the pulmonary circulation]

Almitrine was injected intravenously at a dose of 1 mg.kg-1 over a period of sixty minutes in eight men aged from 49 to 69 years suffering from chronic bronchitis and obstructive airway disease, with signs of chronic cor pulmonale. During the study, patients on artificial respirator were in stable ventilation. Measurements gave the following results: arterial pO2 rose at all the times of study (P < 0.02). Arterial pCO2 decreased, the difference being significant 20 minutes after the end of the infusion. Q tended to increase accompanied by a slowing in heart rate, an increase in cardiac index and in systolic ejection work (P < 0.01 at T60). Pw increased (with P < 0.05 at the 20th minute) and subsequently varied in the same direction in parallel with pulmonary resistance. The authors concluded that almitrine, apart from its well known effects on ventilatory mechanics, results in blood gas changes with are not directly correlated with variations in VE by direct action on pulmonary vascular flow with any notable improvement in the upper zones of the lung.