Sustained beneficial effects of oral pentaerythritol tetranitrate on ventricular function in chronic congestive heart...

The hemodynamic effects of a single oral dose of 80 mg of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were determined in 16 patients with chronic congestive heart failure over a 5-hour period. PETN produced significant (p < 0.05) decreases in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (27 to 18 mmHg), right atrial pressure (15 to 9 mmHg), mean systemic arterial pressure (89 to 80 mmHg) and systemic vascular resistance (1812 to 1466 dynes . sec . cm-5). There were significant increases (p < 0.01) in cardiac index (2.0 to 2.3 l/m2/min) stroke volume index (24 to 38 ml/m2) and stroke work index (25 to 31 gm-m/m2). The peak reduction in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure occured two hours after PETN administration and the hemodynamic effects were still apparent at fivae hours following drug ingestion. In nine patients in whom left and right ventricular ejection fractions were determined by radionuclide ventriculography before and after administration of PETN, no significant changes were found in left ventricular ejection fraction (0.22 to 0.24, p. = NS) although a modest increase was noted in right ventricular ejection fraction (0.29 to 0.34 p < 0.05). The data indicates that orally-administered pentaerythritol tetranitrate may produce beneficial effects on preload and afterload in congestive cardiac failure, the duration of which may be five hours or longer.