Open AccessLong‐term maintenance therapy with prazosin in congestive heart failure
Author(s) -
Mehta J.,
Miles D.,
Iacona M.,
Conti C. R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.4960040306
Subject(s) - medicine , prazosin , heart failure , cardiology , diastole , blood pressure , vasodilation , receptor , antagonist
Abstract We evaluated the effects of long‐term maintenance therapy with oral prazosin (6‐20 mg, mean 14±2 mg/d) in 14 patients with congestive heart failure. The patients were followed for 6±1 months. Eleven of the fourteen patients reported subjective improvement. Two patients required increased diuretics because of gain in body weight. Systolic blood pressure showed a slight but sustained decrease suggesting persistent vasodilator effect. Reductions in echocardiographic left ventricular end‐diastolic (6.35±0.25‐5.88±0.25 cm, p<0.05) and end‐systolic (5.16±0.35‐4.73 ±0.28 cm, p<0.05) diameters were observed at 2 months. However, the cardiothoracic ratio on chest x ray was unaltered. Maximum exercise tolerance time increased in eight patients (57%) during prazosin therapy. Improvement in exercise tolerance time was observed in patients with most marked clinical improvement, suggesting presence of cardiac reserve. Two patients died suddenly after reporting subjective improvement. This study shows sustained clinical improvement in most patients with heart failure treated with oral prazosin.