The influence of Albunex on the pulmonary circulation in patients with pulmonary hypertension or left heart failure

Abstract

To determine the safety of the ultrasound contrast agent Albunex, its influence on right and left heart haemodynamics in patients with pulmonary artery hypertension or left heart failure was assessed after intravenous injection. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction smaller than 40% or a systolic pulmonary artery pressure greater than 40 mmHg received 0.08 and 0.22 ml.kg-1 Albunex and 10 ml albumin in random order during right heart catheterization and transthoracic echocardiography. Right atrial, systolic and diastolic pulmonary artery and capillary wedge pressures were measured at 3 min and 5 min and cardiac output at 5 min after the intravenous injection of Albunex and control. The mean differences of pre- and postinjection values and their confidence intervals were tabulated and significance was anticipated if the confidence interval did not include 0. Significant changes to pre-injection values could be observed in diastolic pulmonary artery pressure 5 min after the injection of albumin and 0.08 ml.kg-1 Albunex, and in right atrial pressure 5 min after the injection of 0.22 ml.kg-1 Albunex only. Since intermediate opacification of the left ventricle was seen in only four patients with 0.22 ml.kg-1 Albunex, in the patients studied higher doses of Albunex and their safety need to be assessed.