The hemodynamic, clinical, and neurohumeral effects of a prolonged (6-days) intravenous enoximone-infusion therapy were evaluated in 12 patients suffering from severe cardiac failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. The loading dose of enoximone was 1.5 mg/kg. The maintenance dose during the two phases of constant intravenous infusion were 4 and 8 mcg/kg/min, respectively. The enoximone infusion therapy produced sustained salutary effects on cardiac hemodynamics and on clinical status in every patient. The enoximone infusion therapy caused a decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure by 38%, an increase in cardiac index by 60%, the pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance decreased by 61% and 37%, respectively. Side effects and therapy-related cardiac arrhythmias were not observed.
Conclusion: Enoximone infusion therapy provides sustained salutary hemodynamic and clinical effects in patients with severe cardiac failure.