[Effects of prostaglandin E1 in the treatment of congestive heart failure after mitral valve replacement].

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was intravenously administrated to 3 patients for treatment of postoperative congestive heart failure. Preoperative diagnoses of these patients were mitral valve stenosis (2 cases) and mitral valve regurgitation (1 case), associated with tricuspid valve regurgitation in every case. Mitral and tricuspid valve replacements was performed in one case, and mitral valve replacement and tricuspid annuloplasty in two cases. After infusion of PGE1, the central venous pressure was decreased rapidly and the patients recovered from congestive heart failure. As minimal doses of PGE1 (0.01-0.03 micrograms/kg/min) was infused, neither remarkable systemic hypotension nor fall of PaO2 were observed. It appears that application of small amount of PGE1 can be a useful mean for the treatment of congestive heart failure after valvular surgery.