title: [Clinical observation of the curative effect of Qiangxin Mixture on congestive heart failure].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of Qiangxin Mixture in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty cases of CHF were randomly divided into Qiangxin Mixture group (treatment group, n=30) and digoxin group (control group, n=30). The total clinical effective rate, integra of the symptoms of kidney deficiency, classification of functional capacity of the New York Heart Association (NYHA), and echocardiogram [ejection fraction (EF), cardiac output (CO), interventricular septal thickness (IVST), posterior wall thickness (PWT), left ventricular mass index (LVMI)] as well as the measurement of plasma endothelin, angiotensin II and atrial natriuretic peptide were observed in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total clinical effective rate of Qiangxin Mixture group was 87%, and improvement was significantly observed in the Lee CHF score, classification of functional capacity of the NYHA, EF and CO (P<0.05, vs before treatment), but no significant improvement in digoxin group (P>0.05). The integra of the symptoms of kidney deficiency, the levels of plasma ET, Ang II and ANP decreased significantly (P<0.01, vs before treatment and digoxin group respectively). IVST, PWT and LVMI were also reduced significantly (P<0.01, vs before treatment; P<0.05 vs digoxin group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Qiangxin Mixture is effective in enhancing cardiac contraction, improving hemodynamics in the short-term and rectifying some indexes in the long-term, so it could postpone the processes of CHF. This mechanism may be related to decreasing the stimulating factors (angiotensin, endothelin) which trigger the cardiac remodeling, delaying or reversing the cardiac remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovasology, Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China. czshan@citiz.net
authors.forename: Zhao-Shan
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yao-Rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Wan-Ying
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C530394:qiangxin