title: Effect of vesnarinone on cardiac function in patients with severe congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vesnarinone has yielded controversial results on morbidity in patients with congestive heart failure. We tested the hypothesis that vesnarinone may have a beneficial effect on cardiac remodeling and function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <30% (17 treated with vesnarinone) underwent an echocardiography at baseline and at 12+/-5 months. Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume, mitral regurgitation, diastolic filling, and right ventricular area change were quantified and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When the vesnarinone group was considered as a whole, there was no significant effect of vesnarinone on cardiac systolic and diastolic function or remodeling. However, an increase in LVEF >7% was observed in six of the vesnarinone patients and none of the control group. Vesnarinone improved right and left ventricular systolic function significantly in patients with initial LVEF <25%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In severe congestive heart failure, vesnarinone induces variable responses but improves biventricular performance in patients with the most impaired initial function.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114-2698, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scherrer-Crosbie
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cocca-Spofford
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: DiSalvo
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Semigran
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Dec
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Picard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011719:Pyrazines; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D011719:Pyrazines; D011804:Quinolines; C041667:vesnarinone