Hemodynamic effects of hydralazine in infants with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure

Abstract We evaluated the acute hemodynamic responses to hydralazine during cardiac catheterization in 13 infants with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Ages ranged from 2 to 13 months (6.7 ± 4.0 months, mean ± SD). Each infant had congestive heart failure and angiographic evidence of markedly depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (0.24 ± 0.11; normal = 0.58 – 0.78) with left ventricular dilation (left ventricular end-diastolic volume = 349 ± 125% of normal). Hydralazine (0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg administered intravenously) acutely decreased systemic arteriolar resistance from 21.1 ± 3.3 to 12.0 ± 2.7 U/m 2 ( p 2 ; p p p 2 ; p