Assessment of cardiac performance with quantitative radionuclide angiocardiography. Effects of oral propranolol on global and regional left ventricular function in coronary artery disease.

The effect of incremental dosages of oral propranolol (mean peak dose of 165 +/- 13 mg/day) of left ventricular ejection fraction, ejection rate and regional wall motion was studied sequentially in 22 stable, resting patients with coronary artery disease using a geometry-independent first-pass radionuclide angiocardiographic technique. All patients improved clinically, in association with a fall in heart rate and therapeutic serum propranolol levels. No significant changes were noted in ejection fraction, ejection rate or regional wall motion. No patient developed a new regional wall motion disturbance. Thus, oral propranolol administered at clinically effective antianginal dosages in patients with stable coronary artery disease does not appear to have significant deleterious effects on resting left ventricular performance.