RAPID IMPROVEMENT OF ACUTE PULMONARY-EDEMA WITH SUBLINGUAL CAPTOPRIL

Objective: To test the hypothesis that sublingual captopril produces a more rapid improvement of acute pulmonary edema (APE) than does place bo, when added to a standard regimen of O-2, nitrates, morphine, and f urosemide. Methods: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-con trolled clinical trial in an urban teaching hospital ED. Adults brough t to the ED with APE were given captopril or placebo sublingually. Eve ry 5 minutes a clinical APE distress score (APEX) was obtained. Result s: Over the first 40 minutes of treatment, the mean APEXs were signifi cantly better for the patients given captopril [p < 0.001, F = 14.5, o ne-way (repeated-measures) analysis of variance (ANOVA)]. At 30 minute s, the patients given captopril had a mean APEX improvement of 43% (i. e., to 57% of initial distress); the group given the current standard regimen plus placebo improved only 25% (i.e., to 75% of initial distre ss; p = 0.03, multiway ANOVA), In addition, there was less respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation in the captopril patient s (9%) vs the placebo patients (20%), which did not achieve significan ce (p = 0.10, Fisher's exact test). Conclusion: In APE, the addition o f sublingual captopril to the standard regimen of O-2, nitrates, morph ine, and furosemide produces more rapid clinical improvement than does the standard regimen alone.