Cardiac Function in Healthy Men

Sixteen healthy men were evaluated for left ventricular performance changes and fl-blockade after therapeutic oral doses of disopyramide and propranolol administered alone and concurrently. The volunteers were randomly assigned to receive one of two drug treatment regimens that differed in the sequence and duration of administration of the dmgs. Left ventricular function was assessed by echocardiographically determined ejection fraction (EF) and systolic time intervals. Beta-blockade was assessed by changes in exercise heart rate. Both disopyramide and propranolol exhibited negative inotropic activity, as evidenced by significant, although clinically inconsequential, decreases in EF and increases in the ratio of preejection period to left ventricular ejection time. The negative inotropic effects of a single 200-mg dose of disopyramide and an 80-mg dose of propranolol were comparable, while chronic disopyramide therapy (200 mg every 6 hours for 1 week) had a greater negative inotropic effect than chronic propranolol therapy (80 mg every 8 hours for 1 week). Only propranolol had f-adrenoceptor blocking activity. When the drugs were administered concurrently, the negative inotropic effects of oral propranolol and disopyramide were neither additive nor synergistic.