Article date: September 1986
By: DP Nicholls, JG Murtagh, ME Scott, P Morton, RG Shanks, in Volume 22, Issue 3, pages 287-292
The acute haemodynamic effects of i.v. pinacidil 0.2 mg kg‐1 infused over 8 min were studied in 10 normotensive patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation. Mean arterial pressure fell from 94 +/‐ 3 mmHg (mean +/‐ s.e. mean) before infusion to 74 +/‐ 3 mmHg at 10 min after commencing infusion (P less than 0.001) and during this time heart rate increased from 75 +/‐ 4 to 106 +/‐ 7 beats min‐1 (P less than 0.001). Significant changes were recorded until the end of the observation period (70 min after commencing infusion). Cardiac index increased from 3.2 +/‐ 0.2 to 4.0 +/‐ 0.2 l min‐1 m‐2 (P less than 0.001) and systemic vascular resistance fell from 16 +/‐ 1 to 10 +/‐ 1 units (P less than 0.001) at 10 min after commencing infusion. By the end of the observation period, the values had returned to pre‐infusion levels. Only small changes in pulmonary haemodynamics were observed. These results indicate that pinacidil acts as a peripheral arteriolar vasodilator, and as such may have a role in the treatment of arterial hypertension and of cardiac failure.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1986.tb02889.x
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