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Clinical Effects and Side Effects of AmrinoneA Study of 24 Patients With Chronic Congestive Heart Failure
Barry D. Silverman, MD;
Arthur J. Merrill, Jr, MD;
Leslie Gerber, RN
Arch Intern Med. 1985;145(5):825-829.
Abstract
• Amrinone, a new inotropic agent, was used to treat 24 patients with chronic congestive heart failure who were classified as clinically stable and who were in New York Heart Association's classes II and III. Patients were treated for up to 30 months (mean, 12.5 months). Exercise tolerance improved in 20 patients, but only eight experienced significant improvement in symptoms of fatigue, dyspnea, and orthopnea and only nine tolerated the drug without apparent side effects. Eight were unable to continue amrinone therapy because of limiting side effects. The most significant adverse effects were cardiac arrhythmias, thrombocytopenia, abnormal results of liver function tests, diarrhea, fever, and nausea. Amrinone has a narrow therapeutic-toxic ratio, but a significant proportion (42%) of patients tolerate and benefit from amrinone therapy.
(Arch Intern Med 1985;145:825-829)
Author Affiliations
From the Cardiology Departments, Northside Hospital (Dr Silverman and Ms Gerber) and Piedmont Hospital (Dr Merrill), Atlanta.
Footnotes
Accepted for publication Aug 30, 1984.
Reprint requests to Cardiology Department, Northside Hospital, 1000 Johnson Ferry Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30342 (Dr Silverman).
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