title: Beneficial effect of long-term PGE1-treatment in left ventricular heart failure.
abstract: Five male patients aged 34-47 years with congestive heart failure showed an improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at rather low PGE1-doses (10-30 ng/kg/min) without affecting blood pressure or heart rate. LVEF was estimated by means of radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) prior to and during i.v.-infusion of PGE1 at increasing dose rates (10-100 ng/kg/min). Therefore, we administered to these responders PGE1 at a rate of 20 ng/kg/min i.v. continuously on a long-term basis by means of a portable infusion pump. Until up to 4 months the remarkable benefit in LVEF induced by PGE1 was still present to a comparable extent in all the patients. No rebound desensitization phenomenon occurred either on platelet activity or on LVEF. PGE1, via a more practical route of application or by a stable analogue, may be a promising therapy at this stage of cardiomyopathy (CMP).
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Virgolini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaliman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fitscha
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Grady
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rogatti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sinzinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000527:Alprostadil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010979:Platelet Function Tests
chemical_list: D000527:Alprostadil