[The use of milrinone in a patient with mitral regurgitation and severe pulmonary hypertension: a case report].

A 65-year-old female with mitral regurgitation was scheduled for the mitral valve surgery. However, because of the severe pulmonary hypertension, the patient needed evaluation on the reversibility of pulmonary hypertension and the safety of the surgical procedure. Milrinone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with vasodilating and positive inotropic properties, known to lower pulmonary vascular resistance was administered to the patient. Milrinone showed a prompt decrease of pulmonary artery pressure and an increase of cardiac output, and the cardiac surgery was performed uneventfully. It is considered that milrinone is useful in lowering pulmonary vascular resistance and assessing the reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension undergoing cardiac surgery.