Dobutamine-induced changes in pulmonary artery pressure in patients with congestive heart failure and their relation to abnormalities of lung diffusing capacity

In conclusion, approximately one third of patients with congestive heart failure may have no reduction, or even an increase in PA pressure, during infusion of dobutamine. This behavior appears unrelated to the baseline, hemodynamic profile and to the change observed in cardiac index, but seems to occur in patients with a more marked reduction in lung diffusing capacity, a noninvasive indicator of structural and functional abnormalities of pulmonary circulation.