Aim: How sildenafil acutely provides hemodynamic alterations in patients with decompensated congestive heart failure remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether myocardial and/or hemodynamic conditions affect hemodynamic response to sildenafil in patients with decompensated heart failure.
Methods and results: Twenty-five consecutive patients with decompensated congestive heart failure were enrolled. The patients underwent echocardiography before and 1 hour after a single oral administration of sildenafil (20 mg). Sildenafil decreased pulmonary vascular resistance by 24% (P < 0.05), and increased left ventricular (LV) time-velocity integral by 17% (P < 0.05). Alteration of the ratio of peak velocity of early LV filling to early diastolic myocardial velocity (E/E'), an indicator of LV filling pressure, following administration of sildenafil, negatively associated with the deceleration time of early filling wave (DcT) at baseline. Patients with baseline DcT ≥ 200 milliseconds (n = 11) exhibited E/E' increase, whereas patients with baseline DcT <200 milliseconds (n = 14) exhibited E/E' decrease.
Conclusions: Administration of sildenafil elevated LV filling pressure in decompensated heart failure patients with shortened deceleration time of early diastolic transmitral flow.