Abstract

Previous studies have failed to demonstrate the clinical relevance of radionuclide functional measurements during treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF). In the present study, data derived before and during nitroprusside infusion were analyzed in 16 patients with CHF to compare correlations of changes in left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) radionuclide measurements with simultaneous changes in 8 hemodynamic variables. Nitroprusside infusion decreased systemic artery pressure, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, right atrial pressure, and pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance, and increased cardiac output. Nitroprusside decreased LV and RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and increased LV and RV ejection fraction and stroke volume. Changes in RV volumes exceeded changes in LV volumes. LV radionuclide measurements did not correlate significantly with any hemodynamic measurement except for a weak correlation between changes in LV end-systolic volume and right atrial pressure (r = 0.51). In contrast, the combination of changes in RV end-systolic volume and stroke volume predicted changes in pulmonary artery peak systolic (r = 0.90) and mean (r = 0.89) pressures. Changes in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure correlated with changes in RV end-diastolic (r = 0.78) and end-systolic (r = 0.71) volumes. In conclusion, LV radionuclide measurements are of limited value in predicting hemodynamic responses to vasodilator therapy in CHF, whereas RV volumes are strongly influenced by load changes. Their responses to nitroprusside correlate well with changes in pulmonary artery and pulmonary arterial wedge pressures.