Effect of ranolazine on improvement of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic stable angina: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Objectives: To study the effect of ranolazine on improvement of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in comparison to trimetazidine in patients with chronic stable angina (CSA). Ranolazine is an anti-anginal agent that acts on the late inward sodium current and prevents pathologic intracellular calcium accumulation that leads to ischemia, myocardial dysfunction, and electrical instability. Methodology: After screening and obtaining informed consent, 29 patients with CSA who have sustained ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction more than 12 weeks ago with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% in a 2:1 ratio to receive ranolazine 500 mg BD (n = 19) or trimetazidine 35 mg BD (n = 10) were enrolled in the study. The patients were evaluated at the end of 8 weeks for the improvement in LV dysfunction by transthoracic echocardiography. Results: No significant difference was found in the baseline characteristics of the patients between the two groups except the increased body mass index among users of trimetazidine (26.3 ± 5.07 vs. 22.1 ± 3.26, P = 0.03). Study patients receiving ranolazine 500 mg BD for 8 weeks significantly improved the LVEF. No improvement was seen in diastolic function. Ranolazine was well tolerated among the patients. Conclusion: Ranolazine at a dose of 500 mg BD given for 8 weeks helps in improving the LVEF in patients with CSA and is a suitable option than trimetazidine among patients with CSA.