[Hemodynamic effects of medical and surgical therapy of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (author's transl)].

In order to assess the hemodynamic effects of medical (propranolol) and surgical (transaortal subvalvular myectomy) therapy, we determined in 20 patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy the following circulatory parameters at rest and during maximal exercise before and after therapy: heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and pulmonary artery pressure. 9 patients were re-investigated after medical therapy of 3.5 weeks to 7 months (averaging 3 months) with a daily dose of 120 to 360 mg (mean 198 +/- 80 mg) propranolol, 11 patients 1 week to 28 months (averaging 7.5 months) after operation. Propranolol induced a significant reduction of heart rate and cardiac output averaging 20.9% and 20.3%, respectively (p in both cases < 0.0001) at equal exercise levels, no change in stroke volume, and a slight increase in the pathologically elevated exercise mean pulmonary artery pressure, with the pulmonary vascular resistance remaining unchanged. Although 3 of the 9 patients reported a slight subjective improvement, exercise capacity did not change significantly from a mean of 66.7 to 69.4 watts. Myectomy, on the other hand, induced no change in heart rate, but a significant increase in exercise stroke volume by 14.9% (p < 0.025) and a distinct increase in cardiac output by an average of 11.2% (not significant), whereas the pathologically elevated exercise mean pulmonary artery pressure fell significantly by 23.8% from a mean of 45.0 to 34.3 mm Hg (p < 0.025). 10 of the 11 surgically treated patients reported a usually marked subjective improvement, and the exercise capacity increased from an average of 61.4 to 81.8 watts (p < 0.01). Thus, the clinical and functional result of surgical therapy was significantly better than that of medical therapy and included, in contrast to medical therapy, a significant hemodynamic improvement and increase in exercise capacity.