[Modification of left ventricular filling after acute administration of nifedipine in hypertensive patients. Doppler echocardiographic study]

This study was undertaken to determine the acute effects of nifedipine on left ventricular filling, examined by Doppler echocardiography in patients with arterial hypertension and normal left ventricular systolic function. Twenty-seven patients with mild to moderate systemic hypertension, and 18 normotensive subjects were studied. Pulsed Doppler, M-mode and B-mode measurements were performed before and 30 min after sublingual nifedipine administration (10 mg). Peak E, peak A, area A, area E, ratio area A/area E, E deceleration and E acceleration time were measured. Before administering nifedipine, some of these diastolic filling parameters were significantly different in the hypertensive patients as compared with normal subjects. After nifedipine, in patients with arterial hypertension, peak E and area E increased significantly (p less than 0.01), while ratio peak A/E and ratio area A/area E showed a significant decrease (p less than 0.001). No significant changes were observed in normal subjects. The result of this study demonstrates that the acute administration of nifedipine modifies transmitral flow velocity pattern in hypertensive patients, suggesting that the left ventricular filling abnormalities are in part dynamic and reversible.