Cardiac function improvement 24 hours after isradipine SRO in patients with chronic stable angina: a double-blind...

We recently showed that Isradipine, a calcium antagonist from the dihydropyridine group, reduces ischemia and improves ventricular function at rest and during exercise, 2 hours after a single oral dose, in patients with chronic stable angina. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of long acting slow release oral (SRO) Isradipine (5 mg) compared to a placebo in 30 coronary patients with stable chronic angina, randomized in a double blind-fashion. The following parameters were obtained at rest and during submaximal exercise: left and right ventricular (LV, RV) ejection fractions (EF; %) and peak filling rate (PFR; EDV/s), assessed by gated radionuclide angiography, clinical symptoms, electrocardiograms (ECG, ST segment depression; mm), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP; mm Hg). Patients were then given two oral doses of either Isradipine or placebo (one a day). The same parameters were reassessed, at rest and during n equivalent exercise, 48 hours later (24 hours after the last administration of the drug). The results after Isradipine (n = 14) showed, at rest, a significant increase in LVEF and Pfr (51 +/- 9 to 54 +/- 8 and 1.97 +/- 0.44 to 2.36 +/- 0.71, respectively) and a decrease in DBP (93 +/- 11 to 87 +/- 13); and during exercise, a significant increase in LVEF (51 +/- 11 tot 55 +/- 13) and a decrease in ST segment depression (2.3 +/- 1.9 tot 1.9 +/- 1.6). No significant change was observed after placebo in the other 16 patients. We conclude that even 24 hours after an oral administration, Isradipine SRO maintains its beneficial effects both, at rest on LV systolic and diastolic function and pressure, and during exercise on ECG signs of ischemia with improvement in LV ejection fraction.