[Pharmacological and mechanical support of the myocardium in perioperative period in cardio-surgical patients with chronic heart failure].

The article deals with a retrospective study devoted to the combined methods of myocardial support in cardiosurgical patients with chronic heart failure (III-IY FC according to NYHA) and low myocardial reserves capacity (LVEF 28.3 +/- 9.4%). This methods include pharmacologic (Levosimendan) and mechanical support (IABP). During the work we have analyzed data of 116 patients and measured pressure in the pulmonary artery (mmHg), end-systolic volume (ESV ml), end-diastolic volume (ED, ml), stroke volume output (SVO, ml), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, %). We evaluated the level of valvular insufficiency and pulmonary hypertension (PH) and BNP concentration (pg/ml). The following indications for the usage of pharmacological and/or mechanical myocardial support were identified: I) Preventive usage of pharmacological and/or mechanical myocardial support is recommended for patients with CHF III-IY FC (NYHA) and low left ventricular EF(< or = 35%), significant valvular insufficiency, PH, PICS (postinfarction cardiosclerosis); 2) The certain method of the support can be chosen with the help of Levosimendan infusion testing; 3) In case one of the above mentioned indications (point 1) or in case of mild reaction to levosimendan infusion in patients with the lesions of more than 2 coronary arteries (including the trunk of the left coronary artery) the usage of combined support is recommended; 4) In case of < or = 6 scores according to EUROSCORE scale, lesions of 2 or more coronary arteries, tricuspid insufficiency (TriI), PH, and high pressure in pulmonary artery (higher than the 2nd degree), high end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume of LV the isolated usage of levosimendan is recommended; 5) In case of significant ischemic heart disease, PICS, lesions of more than 2 coronary arteries, (including the trunk of the left coronary artery) but without significant decrease of pressure in the pulmonary artery, end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume and TriI the isolated usage of IABP is recommended.

[Predictive value of body mass index for perioperative hyperglycemia occurrence in cardio-surgical patients without diabetes mellitus].

UNLABELLED: Purpose of the study was to assess a predictive value of body mass index for perioperative hyperglycemia occurrence in cardio-surgical patients without a diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of glycemic profile, frequency and level of perioperative hyperglycemia was performed 120 patients without a diabetes mellitus, undergoing elective cardiac surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass were included in the study. All patients were divided into three groups. Group-1 included patients with normal body weight (body mass index (BMI) < 25), Group-2--patients with increased body weight (BMI 25-29.9), Group-3--patients with obesity (BMI > 30). RESULTS: Elective cardiac surgeries with artificial circulation accompanied with episodes of hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia occurrence did not have relation with initial glycemic profile of the patients. Glycemia level increased during surgery and the highest levels of both glycemia increasing of hyperglycemia frequency were fixed during cardiopulmonary bypass and postperfusion period. Increased body weight and obesity are predisposing causes of perioperative hyperglycemia.

[Case of successful prevention of multiple organ dysfunctions in 74 years old patient with sepsis after Crawford surgery complicated with pleural empyema, chest wall tissues infection and osteomyelitis of ribs].

The article deals with a clinical case demonstrating that patient's elderly age is not an absolute contraindication for complex surgery in spite of high risk of postoperative complications. Early diagnostics, target treatment of the infection cite with vacuum-assisted therapy for wounds and the treatment of infectious complications based on individual characteristics of elderly patient with sepsis as an outcome of prosthetic thoracoabdominal aortic repair allowed avoiding multiple organ dysfunctions in the patient.

[Intensive care and resuscitation in reconstructive surgery: 50 years of progress].

The article deals with fundamental stages of resuscitation and intensive therapy development in reconstructive surgery during 50 years of Petrovsky National Research Centre of RAMS functioning. Appreciation was given to academician of RAMS R.N.Lebedeva for outstanding services in local public health, as organizer of the one of the first specialized resuscitation and intensive care departments in our country. Researches in the department are traditionally oriented to the diagnostic methods development, prevention and intensive care of vital functions violations in patients after reconstructive operations. It helped to limit contraindications for surgery and to implement radical surgery in patients with severe concomitant diseases, as well as to reduce the number of postoperative complications and mortality

[Postoperative period pecularities in patients of 70 years and older with ischemic heart disease after myocardial revasculization].

A comparative analysis of preoperative risk factors and postoperative period flow in patients older than 70 years (58 people) in comparison with control group aged 40-63 years (62 patients), undergoing myocardial revasculization was conducted. . Significantly higher rates of rhythm disturbances, arterial hypertension, lung diseases, chronic renal insufficiency, atherosclerotic carotid artery disease, lower limb atherosclerotic disease were found in patients older than 70 years preoperatively. It leads to postoperative complications and requires special preoperative correction. Complications incidence after CABG was higher by 1.7 times in patients older than 70 versus control group. The most frequent complications were: rhythm disturbances (in 5 times more often, than control group), respiratory failure (which in 70% of cases was caused by COPD), cerebral complications (in 2,5 times more often, than in control group). Myocardial revasculization surgery in elderly patients is effective treatment method and can be performed with good immediate results.

[Efficacy of amiodarone versus propafenone in the prevention of rhythm disorders in patients after aortocoronary bypass surgery].

A prospective randomized study was conducted to compare the antiarrhythmic activity of amiodarone and propafenone used to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) after aortocoronary bypass surgery (ACBS). The study included 100 patients who had undergone myocardial revascularization. The patients were divided into 2 groups that did not significantly differ in their baseline condition, history data, the type of a surgical intervention, and the incidence of postoperative complications. Antiarrhythmic therapy was initiated within the first 24 hours after surgery. Group 1 (n=50) was given intravenous amiodarone in a dose of 6 mg/kg/day. Rhythm disturbances occurred in 13 (26%) patients. Group 2 (n=50) received oral propaferone in a dose of 6.6 mg/kg/day. AF occurred in 5 (10%) patients. The difference between Groups 1 and 2 was statistically significant (p = 0.047). The preventive use of propafenone recovered sinus rhythm in earlier periods (4602 +/- 71 min) than that of amiodarone (760 +/- 82 min); p = 0.049. Thus, propafenone was found to be a more effective drug used to prevent AF after ACBS, which is attributable to different pharmacodynamic behavior of the agents.

[The efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid and epsilon-aminocapronic acid in cardiac surgery under extracorporeal circulation].

Sixty patients who had undergone cardiosurgical operations under extracorporeal circulation (EC) were enrolled in the study. All the patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) 40 patients were injected tranexamic acid (TA) (its loading dose was 15 mg/kg; maintenance infusion 1 mg/kg/h throughout the operation; 500 mg in the primary packing volume for an EC apparatus (EA); (2) 20 patients received epsilon-aminocapronic acid (ACA) (its loading dose was 5 g; 5 g in the primary packing volume for an EA and 10 g for infusion after EC). The effects of TA and ACA on the fibrinolytic system were evaluated from the time of XIIa-kallikrein-dependent fibrinolysis (sec) and the concentration of D-dimer (mg/ml). The hemocoagulation system (activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin clotting time, prothrombin time with the determination of the international normalized ratio, fibrinogen) was studied. The thromboelastogram (the time R, K, and alpha-angle, MA) was analyzed. The indices were determined at the beginning and end of, and 12 hours after surgery. The analysis of the clinical efficacy and safety of the agents was based on the following perioperative data: the incidence of adverse reactions and complications associated with the administration of the agents, the frequency and amount of transfused donor blood components, the volume of blood loss, and the rate of resternotomies. The laboratory and clinical findings lead to the conclusion that TA (Tranexam, OOO "MIR-PHARM") has a 4-fold antifibrinolytic activity as compared with epsilon-ACA. The more pronounced TA-induced suppression of fibrinolysis affects the clinical course of a perioperative period in this group, which manifests itself as a reduced blood loss volume during and after surgery and a lower frequency of use of donor blood elements. By taking into account these data, TA may be recommended as one of the blood-preserving technology components during cardiosurgical operations under EC.

[A case of successful treatment for secondary multiple organ dysfunction evolving in a patient after a combined operation replacing the mitral and aortic valves in combination with aortocoronary bypass surgery and endarterectomy from the internal and external carotid artery].

The paper describes a case of successful treatment in a patient with secondary multiple organ dysfunction (mainly hepatic and renal failure), by concurrently using different methods of efficent therapy (ultrahemodiafiltration, plasmapheresis) and infusion of the hepatic protectant heptral.

[Method of pharmacological myocardial preconditioning with halogen-containing anesthetics in cardiosurgical patients].

The purpose of the investigation was to study whether isoflurane and sevoflurane might be used for pharmacological myocardial preconditioning (PMP) in patients with coronary heart disease during myocardial revascularization on the working (Part I) and arrested (Part II) heart and to develop a possible procedure for PMP. Part I deals with the study of the effect of PMP with halogen-containing anesthetics during myocardial revascularization on the working heart. The study included 66 patients who were divided into 4 groups; 1) sevoflurane feeding was started just after anesthesia induction and it lasted until some coronary arteries were ligated; 2) sevoflurane was fed for 15 min; 3) isoflurane was used; 4) controls. The markers of myocardial lesion (troponin T, I) were measured and the incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia and needs for inotropic support were also analyzed. Part II was dedicated to the study of the effect of PMP during myocardial revascularization under extracorporeal circulation (EC). The study covered 65 patients who were divided into 4 groups; 1) sevoflurane was administered throughout the anesthesia until the aorta was ligated; 2) it was used for 15 min before aortic ligation; 3) sevoflurane was employed only to induce anesthesia; 4) controls. The variables similar to those in Part I of the investigation were chosen to assess the results of this study. The use of sevoflurane and isoflurane reduces a risk for myocardial ischemic lesion during myocardial revascularization both under EC and on the working heart. Short-term (15-min) use of an agent before myocardial ischemia suffices for PMP to develop its effect. The effect of PMP has its duration that is 76 min, as shown by our findings.

[Effect of mexidol on the magnitude of a systemic inflammatory response in patients at aortocoronary bypass surgery].

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the efficiency of pharmacological correction of a systemic inflammatory response in patients after coronary bypass surgery, by using mexidol. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 40 patients with coronary heart disease, who had undergone myocardial revascularization were examined. A study group (n = 20) received mexidol within 5 days before, during, and 5 days after surgery. A control group (n = 20) were given 0.9% NaCl solution. The degree of a systemic inflammatory response was estimated from the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), the cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha. The activities of serum enzymes and myoglobin were determined. RESULTS: after surgery, both groups showed the elevated concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, and CRP, but their elevation was statistically significant less in the study group than in the control one (p < 0.05). In both groups, there were increases in the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine phosphokinase, and myoglobin, which was statistically significant more apparent in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: mexidol diminishes the magnitude of a systemic response after aortocoronary bypass surgery under extracorporeal circulation and has an organ-protective effect.

[Preventive intraaortic balloon counterpulsation during surgical myocardial revascularization].

Fifty patients with low myocardial functional reserves (left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40%, disseminated cardiosclerosis, multiple affection of coronary arteries, NYHA class III-IV) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) were examined. All the patients were divided into 2 groups. Preventive intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) was used in 24 patients (group 1). Group 2 consisted of 26 patients with similar physical state where IABC has not been used. It was revealed that preventive IABC leads to stabilization of the left ventricle function and cardiac output, a decrease in the doses and period of catecholamines administration. The rate of cardiac rhythm disorders in group 1 was 7 times, myocardial infarction -- 2.5 times, respiratory failure -- 5 times, stay at the intensive care unit -- 2 times less compared with those of group 2. Lethality was 12.5% in group 1 and 26.9% in group 2.

[Intraaortic balloon counterpulsation in the treatment of perioperative cardiogenic shock-complicated myocardial infarction during aortocoronary bypass surgery].

The paper presents the results of use of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) in complex therapy for cardiogemic shock in 31 patients with perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) developed during aortocoronary bypass surgery under extracorporeal circulation (EC) and cold cardioplegia. The diagnosis of PMI was confirmed by the ECG data (the emergence of new Q waves) and by the high level of CPC-MB (more than 6%). IABC was performed, by using a Kontron M-7000 apparatus. The time elapsed from the onset of myocardial infarction to the start of IABC averaged 15.7 + 4.3 hours and the duration of the latter did 105 +/- 13 hours. IABC was initiated in 4 (12.9%) patients in the operating room before EC, in 20 (64.5%) during disconnection from EC, in 7 (22.6%) patients, who were unresponsive to pharmacological therapy, 6-26 hours after surgery. All the patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) 22 patients who had benefited from complex therapy using IABC; they were all successfully disconnected from the balloon pump; (2) 9 patients with refractory heart failure who had died during IABC. The latter has been shown to be one of the effective treatments of PMI and cardiogenic shock during aortocoronary bypass surgery, which achieves hemodynamic stabilization in 70.9% of cases. The results of complex therapy for cardiogenic shock depend on the site and extent of myocardial infarction. Lesions to the anterolateroposterior or anteroseptal area of the left ventricle belong to poor predictors. The outcomes of treatment are poor if there are significant hemodynamic disorders that require, besides cardiotonic agents, the administration of large doses of agents having a potent vasopressor effect (adrenaline and noradrenaline). Improvements in left ventricular pump function, cardiac output, and a significant reduction in the doses of sympathomimetics within the first 12 hours of IABC should be considered to be a good predictor. With the complex treatment of cardiogenic shock, by using counterpulsation after aortocoronary bypass surgery is 51.6%. The early initiation of IABC within 6 hours following the development of myocardial infarction allows mortality to be reduced.

[Continuous epidural infusion of ropivacaine hydrochloride (naropin) during postoperative analgesia in cardiosurgical patients]. / Postoiannaia épidural'naia infuziia ropivakaina gidrokhlorida (naropin) pri posleoperatsionnom obezbolivanii kardiokhirurgicheskikh bol'nykh.

An efficiency and safety of continuous infusion of naropin in the epidural analgesia of 38 patients after coronary artery bypass grafting were demonstrated. A variation of combined anesthesia, which was elaborated at the Russian Research Center of Surgery of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and which comprises (as a basic component of anesthetic management) a high thoracal epidural block (T2-T4) by continuous infusion of a 2% solution of naropin at a velocity of 5 +/- 2 ml/h. Anesthesia was supported by isoflurane (0.5 +/- 0.9%). The patients were extubated in the operated theater and taken to the resuscitation unit with continuous infusion of 0.2% naropin solution. All studied parameters were registered after discharge from the operating theater and 1, 3, 6, and 16-18 hours after surgery. The pain-syndrome intensity was measured at the verbal scale with 0 to 3 points. The mean duration of continuous naropin infusion was 16.7 +/- 0.5 h, mean dose--2.2 +/- 0.2 ml/h. Naropin was administered at a dose of 1-3 ml/h in 89.7% of cases and at a dose of 6 ml/h only in 2.9% of cases. The drug, when used in small doses, ensured a high anesthetic efficiency. A total lack of pain or a mild pain of 0.1 points was observed in 86.5% of patients at stage 5 of examinations and in 100% of patients at stage 3. Naropin infusion did not entail any impairment in ventilation or gaseous metabolism. A reliable decrease of arterial pressure (AP) and of central venous pressure (CVP), (p < 0.05) were registered beginning from stage 2. CVP decrease versus stage 1 was ensured in 38.% of patients by stage 4 and the number of patients with a decreased CVP (less than 60 mm H) went up, versus stage 1, by 3 times. APsyst of less than 90-80 mm Hg was registered in 15 (39.8%) of patients at different examination stages, which necessitated the use of noradrenalin at mean dose of 174 +/- 21 ng/kg.min. The infusion of naropin at dose of 1-6 ml/h did not entail any impairment in the central nervous system (hallucinations, convulsions, and headache).

[Anesthesiological aspects of early activation of patients after aortocoronary bypass surgery]. / Anesteziologicheskie aspekty rannei aktivizatsii bol'nykh posle operatsii aortokoronarnogo shuntirovaniia.

The specific features of the course of anesthesia and the time of extubation were studied in 142 patients suffering from coronary heart disease who had undergone myocardial revascularization. All the patients were divided into 3 groups in accordance with the type of anesthesia. Group 1 patients (n = 48) received routine anesthesia with ketamine, benzodiazepines, and large-dose fentanyl. Group 2 (n = 45) had combined anesthesia with inhalational and intravenous anesthetics having their better pharmacodynamics (such as isoflurane, diprivan, tracrium). In Group 3 (n = 49), the authors employed another developed modality of anesthesia using high thoracic (TII-TIV) epidural anesthesia as a basic component of anesthesiological maintenance. The two developed modalities of anesthesia almost halved the use of total dose opioids, which promoted patients' early postoperative recovery of consciousness and respiration. The time before extubation was 9.9 +/- 2.1, 4.5 +/- 1.1, and 1.5 +/- 1.2 hours in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p < 0.05). The developed anesthesia procedure using isoflurane, midazolam, propofol, and small-dose fentanyl ensures safe and early (up to 6-hour) extubation in 73% of the patients undergone aortocoronary bypass surgery. The developed anesthesiological protocol based on thoracic epidural anesthesia enables extubation to be carried out on the operating table within an hour in 75% of patients after aortocoronary bypass surgery. A comparative intraoperative analysis of hemodynamics, the incidence of myocardial ischemia, arrhythmias, glucose levels has indicated that the anesthesia techniques aimed at a patient's early activation are not inferior in the degree of protection to routine anesthesia using large doses of opioids, ketamine, and diazepam. When used in combination with thoracic epidural block, the methods are superior to the latter.

[Postoperative period in early activated patients after myocardial revascularization]. / Osobennosti posleoperatsionnogo perioda pri rannei aktivatsii bol'nykh posle operatsii revaskuliarizatsii miokarda.

The specific features of an early postoperative period were studied in 115 patients undergone myocardial revascularization who were divided into 3 groups according to the time of postoperative activation. Group 1 comprised 35 patients in whom tracheal extubation was made in the operating room 30-60 min after the end of the operation. Group 2 included 32 patients extubated 2-8 hours after admission to the resuscitation and intensive care unit (RICU); Group 3 consisted of 48 patients undergone tracheal intubation for more than 8 hours. The patients of this group received traditional anesthesia using ketamine, benzodiazepines, and large-dose fentanyl. The developed combined anesthesia with inhalational and intravenous anesthetics having their better pharmacodynamics, such as isoflurane, diprivan, tracrium, was used in 60.3% of the patients in Groups 1 and 2. The developed type of anesthesia using a high thoracic (T2-T4) epidural blockade as a basic component of anesthesiological maintenance was studied. In Group 2, the preextubation time was twice less than that in a control group (5.2 +/- 0.3 and 10.8 +/- 0.4 hours, respectively, p < 0.05). In groups with early extubation, the incidence of clinically significant cardiovascular disorders was less than that in the controls, which is indicative of better performance of the cardiovascular system. In Group 1, the frequency of reintubations for arterial hypoxemias was 2.8% and that of pneumonias and pulmonary microatelectasis was 2.5 times less as that in Group 3 (9%, p < 0.05). Chills occurred in 6, 4, and 15% of cases in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p < 0.05). A programme on early activation after aortocoronary bypass surgery could reduce the patients' stay at the RICU on an average by 24 hours without increasing the risk for postoperative complications.

[Principles of prevention of pneumonia associated with the use of artificial ventilation of the lungs in resuscitation and intensive care units]. / Printsipy profilaktiki pnevmonii, sviazannoi s ispol'zovaniem iskusstvennoi ventiliatsii legkikh v otdeleniiakh reanimatsii i intensivnoi terapii.

Pneumonia ranks among the most incident complications associated with forced ventilation of the lungs (FVL). Its incidence depends on FVL duration and according to published reports varies from 9 to 70%. Pneumonia deteriorates the prognosis and essentially increases the mortality in intensive care wards. Based on published reports and their own experience, the authors formulate the fundamentals of prevention of pneumonia in patients on FVL: use of intubation tubes with low-pressure cuffs; minimum duration or no procedures involving the intubation tube cuff blowing off; regular sanitization of the tracheobronchial tree and oropharynx; use of devices for removal of tracheobronchial secretion in the closed contour and of disposable catheters; inhalation of bronchomucolytics and antibiotics through a nebulizer; patient's position in bed with elevated head part; rigid approach to prescription of antacide drugs and H2-receptor blockers; decontamination and regulation of intestinal function; antibiotic therapy with consideration for the results of bacteriological studies; no or minimum exposure to procedures involving the respiratory contour seal opening; use of sterile gloves; use of disposable respiratory contours and hydrophobic bacterial filters instead of humidifiers.

[The hemodynamic effects of lomir and adalat in patients with postoperative arterial hypertension]. / Gemodinamicheskie éffekty lomira i adalata u bol'nykh s posleoperatsionnoi arterial'noi gipertenziei.

Comparison of the hypotensive effects of lomir (isradipine) and adalat (nifedipine) in 36 patients showed lomir to be more effective after aortocoronary bypass surgery. Normalization of arterial pressure started 5-10 min after lomir infusion, followed by a 24.5% increase in cardiac output and decrease in peripheral vascular resistance by 43.8%. Arterial pressure did not rise after lomir infusion was discontinued. With adalat, arterial pressure normalized 30 min later, and the therapeutic effect was achieved with a very high dose (5-7 times higher than recommended). Cardiac output did not change, and cardiac arrhythmias were observed in 11.7% patients. Therefore, lomir is a preferable Ca channel blocker for treating postoperative arterial hypertension after aortocoronary bypass surgery.

[Perioperative myocardial infarct during the surgical treatment of IHD]. / Perioperatsionnyi infarkt miokarda pri khirurgicheskom lechenii IBS.

Perioperative myocardial infarction is one of the most frequent causes of death in patients subjected to surgery for coronary disease. Study of the pathogenesis of this complication may become an approach to decreasing the postoperative mortality. Forty-seven case histories and autopsy protocols of patients who died after surgery on the coronary arteries and 241 intraoperative biopsy specimens of autovenous shunts are analyzed. The mechanisms underlying the cardiomyocyte necrosis in surgical treatment of coronary disease are based on various pathological processes, the leading of which is thrombosis of the shunts and coronary arteries. The principal factors were intraoperative ischemia of autovein endothelium and shunting of coronary artery with a narrow distal bed.

[Use of software "Aggregate state of the blood" in staged diagnosis and correction of disorders of blood coagulation and rheology]. / Ispol'zovanie algoritma "Agregatnoe sostoianie krovi" v poétapnoi diagnostike i korrektsii naryshenii svertovaniia i reologii krovi.

The "Aggregate State of the Blood" software was created at the National Research Center of Surgery in 1994. The software is intended for comprehensive assessment of the blood fluidity under different conditions of clotting, rheology, and acid-base balance and shows deviations of the detected values from the norm, predicting the risk of thrombotic and/or hemorrhagic complications. From 1994 to 1996, the program was used in more than 1000 patients subjected to cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with complicated and uneventful peri- and postoperative period. The operations were as follows: heart and liver transplantations (19 and 7 cases), intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (16), extracorporeal detoxication (10), acute myocardial infarction (9), etc. The results were compared with the data recorded in case histories of 255 patients who underwent similar operations in 1991-1994. The results of diagnosis and prediction were commented in the protocol for each case. The conclusions were used for therapy or prevention. The incidence of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications and the DIC syndrome in 1995-1996, when the new software started to be used, was significantly lower than before. The best clinical results were attained in the patients examined before surgery (n = 92). In this group application of the program (and subsequent preventive treatment) helped improve the adaptive potential of the physiological systems maintaining the blood fluidity. This resulted in a lower postoperative blood loss and a lesser incidence of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications and the DIC syndrome as against the reference group.

[Lomir in the treatment of arterial hypertension after angioplastic surgery]. / Lomir v lechenii arterial'noi gipertenzii posle angioplasticheskikh operatsii.

Isradipine (lomir) is a new highly selective arteriolar vasodilator of the dihydropyridine group, characterized by a slight cardiodepressive effect. The drug effect on the central hemodynamics and oxygen transport was studied after cardiovascular surgery. Arterial pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance were reliably reduced at the peak of the drug action, as was the left-ventricular stroke work and oxygen consumption. A tendency to increase of cardiac output and cardiac index was observed. Pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure in the pulmonary artery did not reliably change. The drug increased the intrapulmonary shunt.