Effects of low-dose dobutamine on coronary hemodynamics, myocardial metabolism, and anginal threshold in patients with coronary artery disease.

Fourteen patients with coronary artery disease and normal or near-normal left ventricular function were studied at rest and during atrial pacing until the occurrence of angina (12 patients) before and during infusion of dobutamine (3.80 +/- 0.45 micrograms/kg/min). At rest, during the infusion, three patients developed chest pain, mean ST segment depression increased from 0.02 to 0.08 mV (p less than .001), and myocardial lactate extraction fell from +17.5% to -1.4% (p less than .05). These ischemic changes were associated with significant increases in arterial systolic pressure (134 to 149 mm Hg), heart rate (79 to 91 beats/min), coronary sinus flow (89 to 113 ml/min), and myocardial oxygen consumption (10.8 to 13.5 cc/min). In contrast, during atrial pacing, dobutamine did not reduce the pacing threshold or further increase myocardial oxygen consumption or ST segment changes; however, arterial mean and diastolic pressures were significantly lower with pacing during dobutamine infusion compared with control pacing. In the absence of heart failure, dobutamine in low doses can cause myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease. The absence of increased ischemia from dobutamine during pacing may reflect reversal of pacing-induced ventricular dysfunction.