enalaprilat-anhydrous and Heart-Defects--Congenital

The bidirectional cavopulmonary connection (BCPC) is used in the staged palliation of univentricular hearts and places the cerebral and pulmonary vascular beds in series. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are often used in this complex circulation, but the effects of their vasodilation are unclear.. Assessment of the acute response of perfusion pressure, flow and resistance across the systemic, cerebral and pulmonary vascular beds to ACEI in patients with a BCPC.. Prospective interventional study.. Single tertiary care centre.. 12 patients with a BCPC (median age 28 months, weight 11.8 kg) undergoing a pre-Fontan catheterisation with MRI measurement of flows.. Intravenous enalaprilat 0.005 or 0.01 mg/kg.. Enalaprilat increased descending aorta flow (median 21.6%, p=0.0005), decreased total pulmonary vein flow (median 10.6%, p=0.025), and both superior caval vein flow (median 8.6%, p=0.065) and aortopulmonary collateral flow (median 15.5%, p=0.077) tended to decrease. Total cardiac output was unchanged (p=0.57). Systemic vascular resistance (median 41.9%, p=0.0005) and cerebral vascular resistance (median 23.4%, p=0.0005) decreased, but pulmonary vascular resistance (p=0.73) showed little change. There was evidence of autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. The proportion of descending aortic flow to total cardiac output increased (median 27 to 35%, p=0.001). Systemic oxygen saturation decreased from 87% to 83% (p=0.02).. Enalaprilat did not increase total cardiac output but redistributed flow to the lower body, with a concomitant decrease in arterial oxygen saturation. It is difficult to increase cardiac output in patients with a BCPC and ACEI should be used with caution in those with borderline aortic saturations.

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Cardiac Catheterization; Cardiac Output; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Child, Preschool; Enalaprilat; Female; Heart Bypass, Right; Heart Defects, Congenital; Heart Ventricles; Hemodynamics; Humans; Infant; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Male; Postoperative Care; Prospective Studies; Pulmonary Circulation; Vascular Resistance

Enalapril and enalaprilat concentrations were measured after enalapril maleate (0.05 to 0.3 mg/kg) was administered orally to 12 pediatric patients (age range, 10 days to 6 1/2 years) with congestive heart failure caused by congenital heart disease and compared with those obtained from seven normal adults (age range, 21 to 39 years). When normalized to the oral 1 mg/m2 dose of enalapril maleate, the mean +/- SD area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) of enalaprilat, a pharmacologically active angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, did not differ significantly between the pediatric group aged > 20 days and adult group (83.1 +/- 47.0 versus 64.6 +/- 17.8 ng.hr/ml per 1 mg/m2). When normalized to the oral 0.1 mg/kg dose, the mean AUC was significantly (p < 0.05) smaller in this pediatric group than in the adult group (138.4 +/- 69.2 versus 245.7 +/- 61.8 ng.hr/ml per 0.1 mg/kg). The AUC observed in three younger (age < 20 days) subjects tended to be much greater compared with infants aged > 20 days. The mean AUC ratio of enalaprilat to enalapril was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the older pediatric subgroup (2.0 +/- 1.0) than in the adult group (3.4 +/- 1.6), whereas the mean ratios were comparable between the two subdivided pediatric groups. The results suggest that the oral enalapril dose would be better determined on a body surface area rather than on a body weight basis in pediatric patients with congestive heart failure aged > 20 days. The oral dosage should be much reduced in infants with congestive heart failure aged < 20 days compared with those aged > 20 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Biotransformation; Child; Child, Preschool; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enalapril; Enalaprilat; Female; Heart Defects, Congenital; Heart Failure; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male