A NONINVASIVE EVALUATION OF FLOSEQUINAN ON HEMODYNAMICS AND EXERCISE CAPACITY IN CHRONIC CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE

The efficacy of flosequinan 100 mg once daily was evaluated in 15 pati ents with severe congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II-IV) who had not responded adequately to digoxin and di uretics. Efficacy assessments using non-invasive techniques included e xercise capacity, haemodynamics and left ventricular function. Determi nations were made after 3 and 21 days' treatment, and compared with ba seline. Flosequinan significantly increased exercise capacity by 27% a fter 3 days (+79 seconds, p = 0.015) and by 43% after 21 days (+123 se conds, p = 0.0007) and was accompanied by an increase in heart rate (7.2 beats/min, p = 0.03; +9.1 beats/min, p = 0.03, respectively). Card iac index and cardiac output were also significantly increased but onl y after 21 days treatment (+0.3 l/min/m2, +16% and +0.5 l/min, +14%, r espectively; both p = 0.008). Flosequinan was well tolerated, with hea dache being the most frequently reported adverse event and only 1 pati ent being withdrawn. One patient died but this was not unexpected in a group of patients with severe heart failure. Using non-invasive techn iques this study demonstrated that in patients with severe chronic con gestive heart failure, flosequinan increased exercise capacity and car diac output, the latter being achieved mainly by an increase in heart rate.