Effect of ivabradine on heart rate, functional capacity and pulmonary artery pressure in patients of COPD with cor pulmonale

Abstract We studied the effects of heart rate reduction by ivabradine to the ongoing therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cor pulmonale.100 patients of COPD with cor pulmonale with sinus heart rate ≥ 90 bpm were randomly assigned to either ivabradine 5mg twice daily (50 patients) or placebo (50 patients) alongwith standard therapy. Assessment was done at baseline and after 6 months which included six minute walk test (6MWT), dyspnea scoring by modified borg scale, Lung function test by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) by echocardiogram. The drug group showed a significant reduction in heart rate from 95.1±8.2 bpm to 71.1±6.2 bpm (p