ABSTRACT
The inotropic effect of a per os single dose of 200 mg disopyramide phosphate was studied in 25 patients during the second week after acute myocardial infarction with no signs of heart failure. Systolic time intervals and the indices derived from the uncalibrated differentiated carotidogram and apexcardiogram were used to assess changes in cardiac performance. The results were as follows: a) Reduction by 3.2% of the haemodynamic ratio LVET/PEP. b) Reduction by 20.1% of the maximal relative upstroke velocity in the differentiated carotidogram (B/S2) p less than 0.05). c) Decrease by 13.1% of the ratio, total amplitude/dicrotic deflection (T/S2) in the same tracing (p less than 0.05). d) Decrease by 2.8% of the ratio, early systolic wave/early diastolic complex wave (b/ef) in the differentiated apexcardiogram. e) Increase by 3.2% of the ratio early diastolic complex total amplitude (ef/ZN) in the previous tracing. The above changes were indicative of a slight negative inotropic effect of the drug.