Effects of nicardipine on left ventricular dimensions and hemodynamics in systemic hypertension

Abstract

Nicardipine is a new calcium antagonist with potent vasodilatory action. 1 The improvement of cardiac hemodynamics in animals 2 is 1 example of the many promising properties of this drug, which will expectedly lead to its increasing use for the treatment of many cardiovascular disorders, ranging from hypertension to heart failure and from coronary to peripheral vascular disease. Preliminary human trials have also demonstrated an increase of the cardiac pumping ability in subjects with normotension, 3 hypertension, 4 heart failure 5 and coronary artery disease, 6 but most of them have evaluated the short-term effects occurring immediately after the parenteral administration of nicardipine. The aim of this echo-cardiographic study was to determine the influence of long-term oral nicardipine therapy on cardiac dimensions and hemodynamics in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.