Comparative effects of captopril and isosorbide dinitrate on pulmonary arteriolar resistance and right ventricular function in patients with severe left ventricular failure: Results of a randomized crossover study

Abstract We compared the short-term hemodynamic effects of isosorbide dinitrate (40 mg orally) and captopril (25 mg orally) in 18 patients with severe chronic heart failure in a randomized, crossover study conducted on consecutive days. Captopril and isosorbide dinitrate produced similar decreases in systemic vascular resistance, but whereas nitrate therapy decreased pulmonary arteriolar resistance significantly, captopril did not; the difference between the two drugs was highly significant (−25% vs −5%, p p 2 ) ( p p