[Mechanisms of the effect of propranolol on the oxygen transport function of the blood in elderly patients with ischemic heart disease].

In vivo effects of varying concentrations of propranolol on the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve, and its in vitro effects on erythrocyte energy metabolism were studied in 12 elderly and old coronary patients. An 80 mg oral dose of propranolol evoked a significant shift to the right in the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve due to a decrease in blood pH (Bohr's effect) and, according to in vitro evidence, the release of membrane-bound ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. As a result, propranolol improved blood oxygen release in tissue capillaries, as evidenced by elevated pO2 in subcutaneous fat.