[Hemodynamic effects of nisoldipine (Bay k 5552), a calcium antagonist, in coronary surgery patients].

The hemodynamic effects of the intravenous application of nisoldipine (0.2 microgram/kg bw per minute and 0.1 microgram/kg bw per minute) were studied in 70 patients with coronary artery disease. Measurements were performed before the induction of anesthesia, during anesthesia (prior to the cannulation of the great vessels) and 5 min after the end of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) (with the same preload as before ECC) as well as during ECC. Each group was compared to a group of patients who received a placebo injection. The preoperative and intraoperative application of nisoldipine produced a decrease in the mean arterial pressure and total systemic resistance, whereas the cardiac index and the stroke-volume index increased. Only during preoperative measurement did the heart-rate increase. The central venous pressure, pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure remained unchanged. There was no change in the dp/dtmax after 0.2 microgram/kg bw per minute of nisoldipine. There was no difference in hemodynamic outcome between the three groups 5 min after the end of ECC. During ECC, nisoldipine did not reduce the vascular resistance, possibly because of the hypothermic conditions. The principal effect of nisoldipine is to increase the cardiac index by decreasing the total systemic resistance without influencing the myocardial contractility.