New pharmacological strategies in chronic heart failure

Influence of metoprolol on systolic and diastolic function in children with heart failure

The aim of this study was to assess the effect ofmetoprolol on cardiac function in children with heart failure. This randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial was performed in children with heart failure due to left ventricle volume overload structural heart disease such as VSD, PDA, AI and MR who referred to pediatric cardiology clinics in sari in 2007. The patients divided into case and control groups. All cases were matched as viewpoints of age, sex, weight, kinds of primary disease and cardiac drugs (except for metoprolol).Metoprolol with single daily dose of 1 mg kg(-1) and placebo were given to patients in case and control groups respectively. Echocardiography with cardiac indices of systolic and diastolic function was done as baseline and monthly for 3 months in all the patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and statistical t-test. Thirty patients (16 cases and 14 controls) were enrolled in the study. CI, MPI and dv/dt (dt) decreased significantly at first month. Significant changes in LVEF and EPSS appeared on the second month and in E wave and E/A appeared on the third month. The results were in favor of systolic and diastolic improvement. Metoprolol causes improvement of cardiac systolic and diastolic function in children with heart failure due to cardiac defect. Therefore, metoprolol is recommended in patients with heart failure in above mentioned diseases that have not been controlled adequately in spite of receiving standard cardiac failure drug therapy such as an inotrope, a diuretic and a vasodilator agent.