Hemodynamic effects of disopyramide at rest and during exercise in normal subjects

The hemodynamic effects of disopyramide phosphate, 2.0 mg/kg body weight, given intravenously over a period of five minutes were studied at rest and during exercise in ten patients without clinical or angiographic evidence of heart disease. Following disopyramide, the resting cardiac index was lower (4.0 +/- 0.6 vs 4.3 +/- 0.6 liters/min/m2, mean +/- 1 SD,P less than 0.05), while left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (16 +/- 4 vs 11 +/- 4 mm Hg, P less than 0.001), pulmonary arterial (PA) mean pressure (20 +/- 5 vs 17 +/- 5 mm Hg, P less than 0.05), and brachial arterial (BA) mean pressure (105 +/- 8 vs 96 +/- 7 mm Hg, P less than 0.05), were higher than the pre-infusion resting values. During exercise, there was no change in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure while cardiac index rose from 4.0 +/- 0.6 to 6.5 +/- 0.6 liters/min/m2 (P less than 0.001) and left ventricular stroke work index increased from 62 +/- 19 to 84 +/- 22 gm/beat/m2 (P less than 0.001). The normal hemodynamic response during exercise after disopyramide despite the apparent depression of left ventricular function at rest probably reflects the positive inotropic effect of enhanced sympathoadrenergic activity.