Effects of nifedipine on hemodynamics and cardiac function in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction already treated with propranolol.

The interaction between nifedipine and propranolol on cardiac hemodynamics and function was investigated in 9 patients with normal left ventricular (LV) function who were undergoing cardiac catheterization for complaints of chest pain. Only 2 patients had angiographic evidence of significant coronary artery disease but no patient had clinical evidence of ischemia during the study. All patients were pre-treated with propranolol, 30 to 320 mg/day (mean +/- standard deviation 210 +/- 122); the propranolol serum level ranged from 43 to 246 ng/ml (mean 203 +/- 62). The administration of nifedipine resulted in a decrease in blood pressure (from 94 +/- 11 to 85 +/- 13 mm Hg, p less than 0.05), increase in heart rate (from 59 +/- 6 to 65 +/- 7 beats/min, p less than 0.05), and an increase in both mean right atrial and mean pulmonary artery wedge pressures (from 8 +/- 3 to 9 +/- 3 mm Hg and from 13 +/- 3 to 14 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively, both p less than 0.05). Cardiac index increased (from 2.3 +/- 0.3 to 2.7 +/- 0.2 liters/min/m2, p less than 0.01). Stroke volume index also increased significantly (from 39 +/- 5 to 43 +/- 6 ml/m2) and systemic vascular resistance decreased (from 1,715 +/- 369 to 1,255 +/- 271 dynes s cm-5, p less than 0.01). No significant change was noted in pulmonary vascular resistance (148 +/- 94 vs 140 +/- 62 dynes s cm-5), LV stroke work index (44 +/- 9 vs 42 +/- 10 g-m/m2), LV end-diastolic pressure (15 +/- 2 vs 16 +/- 2 mm Hg).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)