Acute effects of nifedipine on systolic and diastolic ventricular function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

To evaluate how nifedipine influences systolic and diastolic ventricular function, the effects of 20 mg sublingual nifedipine were studied in 13 stable COPD patients. Nifedipine induced no change in mean pulmonary arterial pressure, decreased mean arterial pressure, pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance index, and increased heart rate and cardiac index. It also caused an increase in right and left ventricular ejection fractions. The end-diastolic volume index of both ventricles remained unchanged, whereas the end-systolic volume index tended to decrease without reaching a significant level, and the right ventricular contractility increased. After nifedipine administration, right and left ventricular compliance increased. This study suggests that short-term administration of nifedipine improves the systolic function by a decrease in ventricular afterload and an increase in ventricular contractility and increases the ventricular compliance by a reflex sympathetic stimulation and an afterload reduction.