[Infusion of fluids into the pulmonary artery in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction extending to the right ventricle. Evaluation of the method].

Seventeen patients with diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction with right ventricular extension were studied. All of them had evidence of contractile impairment of the right ventricle as shown by elevated filling pressure of the right ventricle, low systolic pulmonary pressure and low left ventricular filling pressure and cardiac output. These patients were treated with fluid infusion into the pulmonary artery besides other treatment measures for myocardial infarction in order to improve the filling pressure of the left ventricle and the cardiac output without stressing the right ventricle. The results obtained with this approach, which was maintained for 22 hours, showed a significant improvement in the stroke work indices of both ventricles and also in the cardiac output with a decrease in peripheral resistence without ever loading the ventricles. We analyze the physiological basis for using this procedure and also the complications that can occur. Our results show that the infusion of fluid into the pulmonary artery improves the hemodynamic situation of these patients and protects a damaged right ventricle.