Norepinephrine levels in the coronary sinus in patients with cardiovascular diseases at rest and during isometric handgrip exercise

Abstract In order to evaluate cardiac sympathetic nerve activity, plasma norepinephrine levels in the coronary sinus (NE CS ) and in the artery (NE A ) were determined in 24 subjects with cardiovascular diseases and in six with functional murmur. The resting NE CS was greater than NE A in 14 subjects with normal left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (p CS was not significantly different from NE A in the remaining patients with elevated LVEDP and/or with reduced cardiac index. Isometric handgrip exercise increased both NE CS and NE A (p CS during exercise was greater than NE A in the group having slopes of 1.0 or more (p CS and NE A multiplied by coronary sinus plasma flow, was significantly less than that of the former group before and during handgrip (p