Acute effect of hydralazine administration on pulmonary artery hemodynamics in dogs with chronic heartworm disease.
In an effort to better understand the role of vasodilators in the management of pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic heartworm disease (HWD), pulmonary hemodynamic measurements were obtained from 7 experimentally infected, anesthetized dogs before and after hydralazine administration (mean dose, 1.96 mg/kg of body weight). Five dogs were maintained on room air, while 2 were maintained on 100% oxygen during the hydralazine study. The hemodynamic effect of hydralazine in dogs with HWD was evaluated, using heart rate, cardiac index, mean pulmonary artery pressure, mean arterial pressure, total pulmonary resistance, total systemic resistance, total systemic resistance/total pulmonary resistance, left ventricular dP/dtmax, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and left and right ventricular double products ([mean arterial pressure x heart rate] and [mean pulmonary artery pressure x heart rate], respectively). Responders were defined as those in which total pulmonary resistance decreased > or = 20% without an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and in which heart rate increase was < or = 10%. Comparison was also made between maximal hemodynamic effect of hydralazine with that after 100% oxygen administration for 15 minutes to previously normoxemic dogs (n = 5). Significance was determined if P < 0.05, using the paired t-test. Hydralazine induced significant reductions in mean pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures and total pulmonary resistance, with no significant change in heart rate, cardiac index, total systemic resistance, left ventricular dP/dtmax, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, or right and left ventricular double products. Four (57%) of the 7 dogs studied were considered responders. Pretreatment cardiac index, mean pulmonary artery pressure, and total pulmonary resistance did not allow differentiation of responders from nonresponders.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Atkins
C E
CE
Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606.
Keene
B W
BW
McGuirk
S M
SM
Sato
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004283:Dog Diseases; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects
D006830:Hydralazine