Phentolamine as a treatment for poor mixing in transposition of the great arteries with adequate intraatrial communication.
Pediatr Cardiol 2005;
26:444-5. [PMID:
16374695 DOI:
10.1007/s00246-004-0720-7]
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Abstract
Patients with transposition of the great arteries often show poor mixing for different reasons, even after adequate balloon atrial septostomy. We present a patient with such a lesion whose clinical status improved dramatically after phentolamine was applied. We believe this improvement is due to reduction in afterload caused by the alpha(2) blocker and also possibly as a response to a presumptive effect of the drug on the diastolic function of the right ventricle, allowing more left-to-right shunt across the atrial septal defect. Both phenomena can improve cardiac output in such a situation.
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