In this study, the hemodynamic and neurohumoral/autonomic effects of intravenous saterinone (a selective phosphodiesterase type III inhibitor, with additional alpha 1-blocking properties) were evaluated. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 36 patients with moderate to severe heart failure were studied (saterinone, n = 24; placebo, n = 12). Invasive hemodynamic measurements, by using right-heart catheterization, were performed, as well as measurement of plasma neurohormones and analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), to study drug influences on neurohumoral activation and autonomic tone. Systemic vascular resistance significantly decreased during saterinone infusion, accompanied by a decrease in systemic blood pressure (both p values < 0.05) and an increase in heart rate (p = 0.05). Filling pressures also decreased during saterinone, but this was statistically significant only for pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, whereas the cardiac index remained unaffected. Plasma neurohormones (norepinephrine, epinephrine, and renin activity) were not significantly influenced by saterinone. HRV analysis revealed no significant effect of saterinone on autonomic tone. These results suggest that intravenous saterinone has a significant vasodilating effect in patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure (CHF), without exerting an adverse effect on the autonomic nervous system, as demonstrated by assessment of plasma neurohormones and HRV analysis.

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