[Amrinone in acute and long-term therapy].

The purpose of this study was to evaluate acute and chronic therapeutic effects of the positive inotropic vasodilating agent amrinone. 50 patients with cardiomyopathy or coronary artery disease and left heart failure participated in the study. Swan-Ganz catheterisation was used in 15 patients; following injection of 1.5 mg/kg amrinone, the mean pulmonary pressure decreased by 26%, the wedge pressure by 27%. Cardiac index rose by 18% (p less than 0.01). 35 patients were examined in the oral study, the avg. dose being 300 mg/day. After 2 and 12 weeks of therapy, exercise tolerance increased by 22% and 13% respectively (p less than 0.05). Cardiac output after maximal workload as determined by equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography increased by 27% and 30% respectively (p less than 0.05). 34 side effects occurred in 23 of 35 patients: nausea, orthostasis, angina pectoris, tachyarrhythmia, hepatotoxicity, thrombocytopenia, hyperuricemia and brown coloring of finger-nails. From the hemodynamic point of view amrinone is intravenously and orally effective. Careful selection of patients and frequent examinations are however necessary.