Deglin S M, Jain A C, Harris W S
Cardiology. 1980;66(4):193-8. doi: 10.1159/000170866.
In order to develop a noninvasive means for following left ventricular responses to hydralazine, we measured the systolic time intervals serially in 6 patients with heart failure. Without affecting heart rate or arterial pressure, hydralazine lengthened the left ventricular ejection time relative to the heart rate (LVETc) 19 +/- 7 msec (p < 0.05) and shortened the preejection period 23 +/- 3 msec (p < 0.001), restoring it to normal in 4 patients. The data suggest that preejection period shortening and LVETc lengthening provide the basis for a noninvasive method of assessing the effects of hydralazine on left ventricular performance in heart failure.
