[Regional ventricular function before and after sublingual administration of nitroglycerin in patients with recent myocardial infarction in the subacute and chronic stage].

Seven patients with a recent myocardial infarction and mostly normal left ventricular end-diastolic pressure were investigated by radionuclide ventriculography after 3-4 days and three weeks before and after 1.6 mg nitroglycerin. Between day 3-4 and the third week global ejection fraction (EF) rose insignificantly (p greater than 0.05) from 31 +/- 4 to 37 +/- 6 percent. The regional EF in the non infarcted area remained nearly stable (74 +/- 5 to 85 +/- 13 relative percent, p greater than 0.05). However, the EF in the infarcted area rose from 22 +/- 9 to 38 +/- 11 relative percent (p less than 0.05 percent). On day 3-4 nitroglycerin induced a clear increase of the EF in the infarcted area from 22 +/- 9 to 35 +/- 11 relative percent (p less than 0.05). The global EF and the EF in the non infarcted area remained nearly constant (global EF from 31 +/- 4 to 34 +/- 5 percent, EF in the non infarcted area from 74 +/- 5 to 77 +/- 7 relative percent; p greater than 0.05). Three weeks after myocardial infarction 1.6 mg nitroglycerin did not produce a significant alteration of the ejection fraction (slight increase of the global EF from 37 +/- 6 to 40 +/- 6, the regional EF in the infarcted area from 38 +/- 11 to 48 +/- 11 relative percent and from 85 +/- 13 to 90 +/- 11 relative percent in the non infarcted area; p greater than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)