[Use of prazosin in the treatment of heart failure in patients with post-infarction cardiosclerosis].

The study was undertaken to examine the effects of prazosin on clinical manifestations of the disease, hemodynamic parameters and myocardial contractility in 33 patients with coronary heart disease, postinfarction cardiosclerosis. The study was performed during an acute and chronic drug test. The efficiency of the therapy was checked by conventional clinical tools and examination of hemodynamic parameters and myocardial contractility from echocardiographic evidence. In the acute and chronic drug test, prazosin was found to cause a significant reduction in systemic and pulmonary pressures, total peripheral resistance and an improvement of total and regional myocardial contractility. Its two- or three-week therapy suffices to achieve the steady therapeutic effect of the drug.