Interaction of hyperbaric oxygenation with nifedipine and propranolol at the level of autonomic regulation of the heart in patients with angina pectoris.

What Researchers Did

Researchers investigated how hyperbaric oxygenation, alone or combined with nifedipine or propranolol, affected autonomic cardiac regulation in 33 male patients with coronary heart disease and angina pectoris.

What They Found

In 33 male patients, a single hyperbaric oxygenation session diminished sympathetic activation and increased heart rate caused by nifedipine (n=18) by reducing its central sympathetic effect. When combined with propranolol (n=15), hyperbaric oxygenation further reduced sympathetic activity and its cardiac rhythm effects by potentiating the drug's negative chronotropic action.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection.

Study Limitations

A limitation of this study is its small sample size of 33 male patients and its focus on specific medications from an older era.