Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and radial artery compliance in patients with congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure is characterized by a clear-cut impairment of arterial compliance of medium-sized arteries, but whether this alteration is irreversible or can be favorably affected by cardiovascular drugs currently used in congestive heart failure treatment is unknown. We studied 9 congestive heart failure patients (New York Heart Association class II; age, [mean±SEM] 60.7±3.3 years) receiving diuretic and digitalis treatment in whom arterial compliance was assessed at the level of the radial artery by an echotracking device capable of measuring the arterial diameter along the entire cardiac cycle. Beat-to-beat arterial blood pressure was concomitantly measured by a Finapres device that allowed diameter-pressure curves and compliance-pressure curves (Langewouters' formula) to be calculated for the entire systolic-diastolic blood pressure range. Arterial compliance was expressed as the area under the compliance-pressure curve normalized for pulse pressure (compliance index). Da...