Pindolol Group Research Articles

Effects of short term beta adrenoreceptor blockade on serum lipids and lipoproteins in patients with hypertension or coronary artery disease.

The effects of beta adrenoceptor blockade with propranolol or pindolol on serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and its subfractions HDL2 and HDL3, serum triglyceride, and Intralipid clearance were studied in 17 normolipidaemic, non-diabetic patients with hypertension or angina pectoris. Both pindolol and propranolol had similar effects on fasting serum total and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. HDL2 cholesterol concentrations were reduced by 9 +/- 29% and HDL3 cholesterol increased by 11 +/- 16%, but there were no significant changes in total or LDL cholesterol in the combined groups after six weeks' treatment. After 12 weeks' treatment total cholesterol concentrations were reduced by 7 +/- 10% mainly owing to a reduction in the LDL fraction of 9 +/- 15%. Concentrations of HDL2 remained low, 8% less than control values. Serum triglyceride concentrations were increased by both drugs at six weeks but had returned to base values in the pindolol group by the twelfth week. Pindolol, but not propranolol, enhanced the rate of clearance of intravenous Intralipid.

Pindolol-Augentropfen (Glauco-Visken®)* - Halbjahresergebnisse einer Glaukomtherapie

In results of studies published hitherto it has been found that Pindolol eye drops 1%, a nonselective beta-blocking agent with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity have little or no effect on the bronchopulmonary system. Therefore, a long-term study of the pressure-lowering and other effects of this drug seems in open-angle glaucoma appeared desirable. In a multicenter double-blind trial 41 patients were treated with Pindolol eye drops 1% and 40 with Timolol eye drops 0,5%. A comparison of the two groups showed that their effect in IOP was almost identical. The other parameters of the examination revealed no significant differences between the two groups. - Five patients in the Pindolol group had to discontinue the study due to allergic reactions of the lids and/or conjunctiva .

Effect of adrenaline on myocardial oxygen consumption during selective and non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blockade comparison of atenolol and pindolol

The effect of adrenaline on myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) during selective and non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blockade was examined in 26 patients with angina pectoris. Cardiac venous flow was measured by thermodilution and blood was sampled for metabolic studies. Thirteen patients were given atenolol 62.5 micrograms/kg i.v. and the other 13 patients pindolol 7.5 micrograms/kg i.v. Measurements were repeated before and during infusion of adrenaline 0.1 microgram/kg/min. Compared to the control situation, adrenaline increased MVO2 more in atenolol-treated (39%) than in pindolol-treated patients (11%). This was partly due to augmented external cardiac work. Arterial FFA was considerably increased in the atenolol group (105%), but was unchanged in the pindolol group, suggesting an additional metabolic mechanism. Thus, adrenaline stimulation, which is comparable to that found in acute myocardial infarction, increases MVO2 more during selective than non-selective beta-blockade.

The effect of pindolol on the two years mortality after complicated myocardial infarction<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1"><sup>*</sup></xref>

The effect of oral pindolol 15 mg daily was compared with placebo in 529 patients who had electrical and/or mechanical complications after an acute myocardial infarction. The study was multicentric (five in Sweden, two in Australia) and patients were allocated in a stratified manner to placebo (266 patients) or pindolol (263 patients). Treatment was started 1–21 days after infarction and patients were followed for 2 years. Forty-seven patients (17.7%) in the placebo group and 45 patients (17.1%) in the pindolol group died. In patients who commenced therapy later than 5 days after myocardial infarction mortality was 18% lower in the pindolol group and there was an even greater difference in patients who commenced therapy after 12 days. Patients who were on digitalis therapy had a lower mortality if treated with pindolol. The apparent improvement in prognosis in patients treated in Sweden compared to Australia may have been due to later entry of patients. This study suggests that improvement in prognosis when beta blocking drugs are given after myocardial infarction may only apply to certain groups of patients. No benefit is gained by commencing an oral beta blocking drug immediately and such therapy need not be started before 1 week or more after the myocardial infarct.

Once daily beta-adrenoceptor blockade in hypertension: an ambulatory assessment.

1 The ambulant intra-arterial blood pressure of eighteen hypertensive subjects was monitored before and again after 3 months treatment with thrice daily sotalol (six patients), twice daily pindolol (six patients) and once daily pindolol (six patients). 2 Three patients in the sotalol group underwent a third study having changed to a once daily regimen; similarly six patients in the pindolol groups were restudied having crossed over to the alternative pindolol dosing regimen, total daily dosage being maintained in all cases. 3 Comparison of 24 h blood pressure curves before and after treatment showed effective daytime reduction but less consistent effects at night. 4 In the crossover experiments once daily and multiple daily dosing regimens produced identical patterns of reduction over 24 h in both blood pressure and heart rate. 5 It is inferred that in the treatment of hypertension, once daily dosing with standard preparations of beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents is probable adequate.