Long-term intermittent dobutamine infusion combined with oral amiodarone improves the survival of patients with severe congestive heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of long-term intermittent dobutamine infusion (IDI) with concomitant administration of low-dose amiodarone in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) refractory to standard medical treatment.


METHODS
Prospective, interventional clinical trial.


METHODS
Inpatient and outpatient heart failure clinic in a university teaching hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-two patients with CHF refractory to standard treatment who could be weaned from dobutamine therapy after an initial 72-h infusion were included in this study. The first 11 patients (group 1) were treated with IDI, 10 micromin, as needed (mean, once every 16 days, lasting for 12 to 48 h); the next 11 patients (group 2) received oral amiodarone, 400 mg/d, and IDI, 10 microg/kg/min, for 8 h every 7 days.


RESULTS
There were no differences in baseline clinical, hemodynamic, and five biochemical characteristics between the two groups. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 13.5 +/- 4.5% in group 1 vs 15.5 +/- 4.9% in group 2 (mean +/- SD; p = 0.451); mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was 31.3 +/- 4.4 mm Hg vs 29.4 +/- 3.3 mm Hg (p = 0.316); serum creatinine was 1.9 +/- 0.4 mg/dL vs 1.6 +/- 0.5 mg/dL (p = 0.19); and serum Na was 139.6 +/- 6.2 mEq/L vs 138.4 +/- 3.1 mEq/L (p = 0.569). At 12 months of follow-up, 1 of 11 patients (9%) was alive in group 1 vs 6 of 11 patients (55%) in group 2 (p = 0.011). Furthermore, in group 2, the functional status improved significantly within the first 3 months of treatment, from New York Heart Association functional class IV to 2.63 +/- 0.5 (p = 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Long-term IDI in conjunction with amiodarone, added to conventional drugs, improved clinical status and survival of patients with severe CHF.
Nanas
J N
JN
University of Athens School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Kontoyannis
D A
DA
Alexopoulos
G P
GP
Anastasiou-Nana
M I
MI
Tsagalou
E P
EP
Stamatelopoulos
S F
SF
Moulopoulos
S D
SD
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004280:Dobutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood; D013318:Stroke Volume; D015996:Survival Rate
D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine; D012964:Sodium; D003404:Creatinine; D000638:Amiodarone