Effect of MDL 17043, a new cardiotonic agent, on myocardial oxygen consumption

Enoximone echocardiography for predicting recovery of left ventricular dysfunction after revascularization : a novel test for detecting myocardial viability

BACKGROUND

The possibility that enoximone, a nonglycoside, noncatechol, positive inotropic agent, in combination with 2-dimensional echocardiography may predict recovery of myocardial dysfunction after revascularization has not been yet evaluated.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Forty-five patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction underwent dobutamine (DE, 5 to 10 microg. kg(-1). min(-1)) and enoximone (EE, 1.5 mg/kg, over 10 minutes) echocardiography. Myocardial wall motion was scored from 1 (normal) to 4 (dyskinesia): an asynergic segment was considered to have contractile enhancement when the score decreased by >/=1 grade. Of 478 asynergic segments, 216 (45%) exhibited functional recovery after revascularization. Dobutamine- and enoximone-induced contractile enhancement was observed in 41% and 46% of segments, respectively. Compared with DE, EE had higher sensitivity (88% versus 79%, P<0.01) and negative predictive value (90% versus 84%, P<0.05) in predicting functional recovery. The specificity (89% versus 90%) and positive predictive value (87% for both EE and DE) were similar. Concordant interpretation of EE and DE findings was found in 85% (406 of 478) of affected segments. Prerevascularization coronary angiography showed that stenosis severity of vessels supplying areas which only improved with enoximone was significantly greater (89.9%) than that of vessels (77.7%) supplying areas that responded to both agents (P<0.02). Both dobutamine and enoximone increased heart rate (16% and 10%, respectively), whereas enoximone did not cause changes in systolic blood pressure that increased by 14% with dobutamine.

CONCLUSIONS

Enoximone echocardiography provides a novel and reliable approach for the prediction of functional recovery after revascularization. Compared with dobutamine echocardiography, the test yields higher sensitivity and induces lesser hemodynamic alterations.

Efficacy of phosphodiesterase inhibitor enoximone in management of postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock

The efficacy of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor enoximone for reversal of severe postcardiotomy low cardiac output syndrome was investigated in 13 cases of cardiogenic shock refractory to conventional treatment consisting of beta-adrenergic agonists (n = 13) combined with vasodilators (n = 7), and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (n = 5). Following a bolus of 1 mg/kg enoximone, cardiac and stroke volume indices increased from 1.56 +/- 0.27 l/min/m2 and 16.3 +/- 3.3 ml/m2, respectively, to 2.72 +/- 0.67 and 27.8 +/- 7.1 (both p < 0.001). Mean arterial pressure fell, from 77 +/- 11 to 68 +/- 9 mmHg (p < 0.05), as did atrial filling pressures (LAP and RAP), LAP from 21.3 +/- 5.5 to 15.9 +/- 2.9 and RAP from 16.6 +/- 2.3 to 13.7 +/- 2.1 mmHg (both p < 0.01). The heart rate rose by only 5%. Enoximone therapy was maintained by a continuous infusion (5-7.5 micrograms/kg/min) for 40.6 +/- 8.6 hours (range 14-92). All hemodynamic parameters remained stable throughout treatment. Six patients died of sepsis and/or multiorgan failure but seven were discharged from hospital. Enoximone thus improved hemodynamic performance significantly in cardiogenic shock after open-heart surgery. It also has proved valuable in cardiac failure when conventional therapy was unsuccessful.

The effects of enoximone (MDL-17043) on forearm venous circulation in healthy volunteers and patients with heart failure

The effect of intravenous enoximone on forearm venous circulation was studied in ten healthy volunteers (group A) and in ten patients with NYHA class III-IV congestive heart failure (group B). Distensibility of the forearm capacitance vessels was assessed from pressure-volume curves by venous occlusion plethysmography using a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge. Three recordings each at 3-min intervals were obtained before the infusion and again 20 min after completion of the infusion. Venous volume changes (VV) at congesting pressures of 10, 20, and 30 mmHg before and after enoximone were compared. Forearm muscle blood flow was also measured by venous occlusion plethysmography; electrocardiogram, heart rate, and cuff blood pressure were recorded throughout. Enoximone at a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight was infused over 10 min through a peripheral vein in group A and via a central line in group B. In group A, the effect of the injection vehicle was also assessed. VV10, VV20, and VV30 did not differ from baseline values after enoximone in both groups A and B. The vehicle caused a small but significant degree of venoconstriction in group A (VV20, 2.64 +/- 0.9 to 2.48 +/- 0.83 ml/100 ml, P less than 0.05; VV30, 3.47 +/- 1.27 to 3.33 +/- 1.20 ml/100 ml, P less than 0.05), which could be explained by an acute response to local pain from the infusion. This effect was not evident following enoximone, perhaps as a result of its counterbalancing vasodilating action to venoconstriction induced by acute pain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Physiologic response to the inotropic and vasodilator properties of enoximone

In patients with chronic cardiac failure, improvement in ventricular function is observed after the administration of enoximone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with inotropic and vasodilator properties. The relative contributions of positive inotropy and vasodilation to the improvement in pump performance, however, remain uncertain. Therefore, findings from a series of dog experiments designed to resolve this issue are reviewed. Also, our current understanding of the physiologic response to enoximone in patients with cardiac failure, including the responses of myocardial oxygen consumption and efficiency, are considered. It is concluded that, enoximone produces a substantial (66 +/- 2% in dogs) increase in contractility, a relatively minor increase in heart rate (0 to 12%) and a decrease in systemic vascular resistance (-28 to -49%). These are the ranges of average responses based on review of published findings. These physiologic responses lead to an improvement in the pumping function of the failing heart; cardiac output (23 to 83%) and stroke work index (17 to 88%) are increased, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (-19 to -59%) and right atrial pressure (-29 to -60%) are decreased. The influence of enoximone on myocardial oxygen consumption is less consistent (-18 to +33%). Nevertheless, enoximone improves the efficiency of the failing heart.

Pharmacology of enoximone

Enoximone is a new cardiotonic agent, active by both intravenous and oral routes of administration, that is being studied clinically for the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure. The animal pharmacology pertinent to the clinical development of enoximone is reviewed. Direct positive inotropic, positive chronotropic and vasodilator properties have been demonstrated for enoximone in several in vivo and in vitro preparations. However, positive inotropism and vasodilation are the principal effects of this agent with the inotropic effect being the most prominent. In anesthetized dogs, the cardiovascular effects produced by enoximone (0.1 to 1 mg/kg) were not accompanied by significant alterations in myocardial oxygen consumption. Cardiac function was improved by enoximone in anesthetized dogs given myocardial depressant amounts of propranolol. Studies in vivo and in vitro have indicated that the actions of enoximone are direct and not mediated by stimulation of adrenergic receptors, histaminic receptors, cholinergic receptors, Ca++-adenosine triphosphatase, Mg++-adenosine triphosphatase, adenyl cyclase or inhibition of Na+, K+-adenosine triphosphatase. However, enoximone reversed the depressant effects of verapamil in the dog heart-lung preparation; this suggests that its action resulted in the activation of slow calcium channels. Enoximone was found to be potent and highly selective inhibitor of a high affinity cyclic adenosine monophosphate-phosphodiesterase type IV-phosphodiesterase from dog heart, whereas standard inhibitors (e.g., 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and papaverine) inhibit all 3 cardiac phosphodiesterases. Further, enoximone produced an increase in cyclic adenosine monophosphate, but not cyclic guanosine monophosphate, in the isolated, blood perfused dog papillary muscle during the peak inotropic effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparative study of MDL 17043 and MDL 19205, new positive inotropic agents, by use of isolated, blood-perfused dog-heart preparations

The cardiac and coronary vasodilator effects of MDL 17043 and MDL 19205 were compared in isolated, blood-perfused papillary muscle, sinoatrial (SA) node, and atrioventricular (AV) node preparations of dogs. In these preparations, MDL 17043 (0.01-3 mumol) and MDL 19205 (0.01-3 mumol) were injected intra-arterially. Both drugs increased the force of contraction of papillary muscles paced at a rate of 120 stimuli/min, and a ten-fold increase in dose produced about a 100% increase in the force. The two drugs increased the sinus rate in SA node preparations, and a tenfold increase in dose resulted in about a 12% increase in sinus rate with MDL 17043 and about a 17% increase with MDL 19205. These drugs increased the rate of automaticity of spontaneously beating papillary muscles and also the force of contraction. With a ten-fold increase in dose, the increase in the rate was about 16% for MDL 17043 and about 9% for MDL 19205. No ventricular arrhythmias were produced by either drug. The drugs equally decreased AV conduction time by accelerating AV nodal conduction in AV node preparations whose right atria were paced at a rate of 150 stimuli/min. However, the decrease remained about 5% with a ten-fold increase in dose of both drugs. No AV junctional tachycardia was produced. In all preparations, both drugs increased (coronary) blood flow. In paced papillary muscle preparations a tenfold increase in dose resulted in about a 37% increase in blood flow with MDL 17043 and about a 42% increase with MDL 19205.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)