1) Daily dose was 10-20mg Q.D. for 12 weeks. 2) Mean systolic and diastolic pressure were decreased by 49mmHg(25.9%), and 18mmHg(16.8%) respectively. But there was no significant change in heart rate before and after treatment. 3) Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were stably maintained on the whole day. 4) There were no significant side effects except two cases of aggravated congestive heart failure and hypertension. 5) There were no significant changes on hematologic & biochemical parameters before and after treatment.
Blood Pressure ; Heart Failure ; Heart Rate ; Hypertension ; Nitrendipine*

No abstract available.
Bilirubin/*blood ; Female ; Heart Failure/*blood ; Humans ; Male

PURPOSE: This study investigated the effects of home-based exercise intensity on the aerobic capacity and 1 year re-hospitalization rate in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Forty seven patients with CHF (males 33, females 14, age 61.3±9.8 years) participated in this study. The patients were allocated randomly to 3 groups in accordance with home-based exercise intensity: no home based exercise (NHE, 40%, n=19), moderate intensity home-based exercise (MIHE, 43%, n=20), and high intensity home based exercise (HIHE, 17%, n=8). All patients completed the symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) test safely at the cardiac rehabilitation hospital. RESULTS: The NHE group significantly showed lower peak VO2 and a higher VE/VCO2 slope than the MIHE (p < 0.05) and HIHE (p < 0.01) groups. On the other hand, the NHE group did not show significant differences in the other hemodynamic responses, such as heart rate (HR) max, HR reserve, maximal systolic blood pressure (SBP), and SBP reserve. Nine out of 19 NHE patients (47%) were re-hospitalized related to heart disease and two out of 20 MIHE (10%) patients were re-hospitalized, but nobody in the HIHE group were re-hospitalized within 1 year from the CPX test. CONCLUSION: In patients with CHF, home-based self-exercise is one of the important factors for reducing the re-hospitalization rate. In addition, improved aerobic capacity is strongly associated with a lower re-hospitalization rate. In particular, re-hospitalized CHF patients showed significant differences in respiratory parameters and hemodynamic parameters compared to the non-re-hospitalized patients.
Blood Pressure ; Female ; Hand ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Rate ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Rehabilitation ; Self Care

The results of ABO blood typing in 64-year-old patient with chronic renal and heart failure were positive with anti-B, delayed and weak positive with anti-A in the slide method for the cell typing, mixed-field agglutiniation by light microscopy in the tube method for the cell typing, and also was negative in anti-A, lectin and positive in anti-H, therefore blood typing of this patient was confirmed to A3B.
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Microscopy ; Middle Aged

The hypotensive effect of diltiazem hydrochloride(Herben(R)) was investigated with 32 cases of essential hypertension. Diltiazem, 90-180mg per day, was administer ed in divided doses to each of the subjects for 6 week and the blood pressure lowering effect was assessed, as remarkably effective when the lowering of blood pressure was, 20mmHg or more of systolic pressure and 10mmHg or more of diastolic pressure; as satisfactorily effective when 20mmH or more of systolic pressure or 10mmHg or more of diastolic pressure was lowered; as fairly effective when 10-19mmHg of systolic pressure and 5-9mmHg of diastolic pressure. 1. With above mentioned criteria, diltiazem was remarkably, satisfactorily and fairly effective in 11(37%), 13(43%) and 1(3%) of 30 patients, respectively, while the drug was ineffective in 5(17%). 2. Diltiazem was effective in lowering of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and was effective as a sole agent of as an agent of combination therapy. 3. With diltiazem treatment, the depressed ST segment was conversed to isoelectric line in all of 10 cases which showed ST depression before diltiazem treatment and the elevated ST segment was conversed to isoelectric line in 1 of 2 cases. all of 4 cases with flat T wave and 10 of 12 cases with inverted T wave showed conversion to upright T waves after diltiazem treatment. 4. Undesirable side effects was observed in 2 cases out of 32 cases(6%); 1 case of erythema multiforme-like skin eruption and 1 case of the clinical aggravation of congestive heart failure, in whom the diltiazem administration was discontinued.
Blood Pressure ; Depression ; Diltiazem* ; Erythema ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Skin

PURPOSE: This study examined the influence of the maximal aerobic capacity on the two-year cardiac-related re-hospitalization in patients with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in Korean society.METHODS: The maximal aerobic capacity of the study population (n=95, male 63%) was evaluated using a cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing system. Each patient was followed up for two years to divide the HFrEF patients into two groups according to cardiac-related re-hospitalization: re-hospitalization (RH) group (n=29, 30%) and no re-hospitalization (NRH) group (n=66, 70%).RESULTS: The relative peak VO₂ (mL/kg/min, p<0.001), exercise duration (p<0.001), respiratory exchange ratio (VCO₂/VO₂, p=0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) reserve (p=0.004), heart rate (HR) reserve (p=0.007), SBP max (p=0.02), and HR max (p=0.039) were significantly lower in the RH group than the NRH group during the CPX test. On the other hand, the ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO₂ slope, p=0.02) and age (p=0.022) were significantly higher in the RH group than in the NRH group. In binary logistic regression analysis, the relative peak VO₂ (p=0.001, Wald Chi-square 10.137) was the strongest predictive factor on cardiac-related re-hospitalization, which was followed by VCO₂/VO₂ (p=0.019, Wald Chi-square 5.54). On the other hand, age (p=0.063, Wald Chi-square 3.445) did not have a significant influence on cardiac related re-hospitalization.CONCLUSION: The maximal aerobic capacity, especially the relative peak VO₂, is the strongest factor on cardiac-related re-hospitalization within two years in patients with HFrEF in Korean society.
Blood Pressure ; Exercise Test ; Hand ; Heart Failure ; Heart Rate ; Heart ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male

BACKGROUND: Non-dipper hypertension is defined as an improper nocturnal blood pressure falling less than 10/5 mmgHg or 10% in systolic and diastolic. Clinical studies have shown that target organ damages tend to be more frequent in non-dipper hypertensives. Author tried to elucidate whether non-dippers in untreated mild to moderate hypertension has more evidence of early renal damage or not. METHODS: Total 141 untreated mild to moderate Korean essential hypertensives including borderline hypertensives and 47 controls were subjected. Diabetes, chronic renal failure, heart failure, severe hypertension (above stage-III by JNC-VI criteria), isolated systolic hypertension and macroproteinuric cases (UAER >200 microgram/mL/min) were excluded to profit this study purpose. Subject was defined as non-dipper when nocturnal blood pressure fall was less than 10/5 mmHg. Urine microalbumin was analyzed by radioimmunoassay, and their excretion rate was calculated according to 24 hr urine volume. All data were compared and analyzed statistically by using of SPSS package. RESULT: Prevalence of non-dipper is not different between both groups (hypertension vs control ; 21.3% vs 25.5%, p>0.05). In hypertensive group, incidence of significant UAER and mean UAER were not different between dipper and non-dipper (all p>0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, evidence of early renal damage in non-dipper hypertensive was not differ from dipper hypertensives. Long-term study would be necessary to observe for further renal damage in non-dipper hypertensives.
Blood Pressure ; Heart Failure ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Prevalence* ; Radioimmunoassay

Biomarkers ; blood ; Child ; Heart Failure ; blood ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood

Atrial Fibrillation ; blood ; etiology ; Heart Failure ; blood ; etiology ; Humans ; Morbidity ; Uric Acid ; blood

BACKGROUNDStudies have shown that increased levels of serum uric acid (SUA) are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, less is known about the prognostic value of SUA levels for AF in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The aim of the study was to examine the prognostic value of SUA levels for AF in patients with CHF.

METHODSSixteen thousand six hundred and eighty-one patients diagnosed with CHF from 12 hospitals were analyzed. Patients were categorized into AF group and non-AF group, death group, and survival group according to the results of the patients' medical records and follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to examine the risk of AF. The sensitivity and specificity of SUA level in predicting the prognosis were examined by multivariate Cox models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTSThe results of univariate predictors in overall patients showed that the higher SUA level was associated with AF. SUA level (HR, 1.084; 95%CI, 1.017 - 1.144; P < 0.001), diuretics (HR, 1.549; 95%CI, 1.246 - 1.854; P < 0.001), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) (HR, 1.237; 95%CI, 1.168 - 1.306; P < 0.001) function class were the independent risk factors for AF. The sensitivity and specificity of the models were 29.6% and 83.8% respectively for predicting AF. When SUA level was added to these models, it remained significant (Wald c(2), 1494.88; P < 0.001 for AF); 58.8% (95%CI, 57.7% - 60.0%) of the observed results were concordant with the separate model.

CONCLUSIONHigher SUA level is associated strongly with AF in patients with CHF. SUA level can increase the sensitivity and specificity in predicting AF.

Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; blood ; Female ; Heart Failure, Systolic ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid ; blood