Abstract
Association between exogenous atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and hemodynamic changes was ascertained in 3 dogs with overt congestive heart failure (CHF(+)) and 3 dogs without congestive heart failure (CHF(-)) caused by experimental mitral regurgitation (MR). The hemodynamic measurements were recorded in all dogs during and after 1 hr infusion of ANP at the rate of 0.1 (low dose), 0.5 (medium dose) and 1.0 (high dose) μg/kg/min, respectively. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and systemic vascular resistance decreased significantly during and after ANP infusion even with low dose in the CHF(+). Stroke volume, stroke volume index and cardiac output in the CHF(+) during and after ANP infusion showed an increasing trend as compared with the CHF(-). Double product, an indicator of myocardial oxygen consumption, significantly decreased during and after ANP administration at all doses in the CHF(+). These findings indicate that even at low dose, exogenous ANP improves cardiac performance and reduces myocardial oxygen consumption in the CHF(+), and suggest that ANP has beneficial effects in the treatment of dogs with overt congestive heart failure resulting from MR.
