[Use of sodium nitroprusside in patients with acute myocardial infarct complicated by left ventricular failure]

Fifty-six patients with acute myocardial infarction aggravated by left ventricular insufficiency were examined. A series of 39 patients received the intravenous instillation of sodium nitroprusside, the remaining 17 patients were given conventional treatment. Hemodynamic parameters and those yielded by precordial mapping at 35 leads were compared over time between the groups. Sodium nitroprusside therapy was related to significant beneficial changes in the hemodynamic parameters and ECG. It is concluded that sodium nitroprusside is highly effective in controlling left ventricular insufficiency in patients with acute myocardial infarction.