Effect of vesnarinone on cardiac function in patients with severe congestive heart failure.
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.
Scherrer-Crosbie
M
M
Cardiac Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114-2698, USA.
Cocca-Spofford
D
D
DiSalvo
T G
TG
Semigran
M J
MJ
Dec
G W
GW
Picard
M H
MH
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*
D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D011719:Pyrazines; D011804:Quinolines; C041667:vesnarinone