Evaluation of long-term oral levodopa therapy in chronic congestive heart failure.

To evaluate the long-term effects of orally administered levodopa, 11 patients with chronic congestive heart failure (NYHA III-IV) were studied during maintenance therapy (30 +/- 1 days) and after withdrawal from levodopa. The daily levodopa dose was 4 g in six patients; because of side effects the levodopa dose was reduced to 2-3 g in the remaining patients. After withdrawal of levodopa, mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and mean right atrial pressure increased significantly (from 19 +/- 2 to 24 +/- 3 and from 7 +/- 2 to 9 +/- 2 mmHg, respectively). Effective renal plasma flow was 329 +/- 57 during levodopa therapy and decreased significantly to 252 +/- 27 ml/min after withdrawal of levodopa. The number of ventricular premature contractions and couplets increased during levodopa therapy and decreased again significantly after withdrawal of levodopa. No significant differences between on and off levodopa were observed in resting heart rate, arterial blood pressure, cardiac index, stroke work index, systemic vascular resistance, sodium and water excretion, or creatinine clearance. Seven patients improved on levodopa therapy by one NYHA class; four of these seven patients deteriorated again by one NYHA class after withdrawal of levodopa. Regarding both clinical and hemodynamic changes after withdrawal of levodopa, three patients were classified as responders to long-term levodopa therapy. All three responders received 4 g levodopa per day. Average dopamine plasma level was 5.3 +/- 0.8 ng/ml in the responder group and 2.0 +/- 0.5 ng/ml in the nonresponder group. Long-term administration of oral levodopa is associated with beneficial clinical and hemodynamic response in only a minority of patients with chronic congestive heart failure.