[Hemodynamic effects of sar1-ala8-angiotensin in patients with renovascular hypertension (author's transl)].

In 7 hypertensive patients with renal artery stenosis and in 1 patient with hypertension and unilateral pyelonephritic nephrophthisi the influence of the angiotensin II antagonist, saralasin on systemic hemodynamics was studied. In the patients with normal renin infusion of saralasin produced an increase in total peripheral resistance, in patients with elevated renin a decrease in peripheral resistance was observed. In 3 patients who had extremely high renin levels while under sodium saralasin produced a dangerous drop in blood pressure concomitant with a marked decrease in cardiac output and in central venous pressure, heart rate remained unchanged or increased just slightly. The findings suggest that in patients with high plasma renin peripheral resistance, venous tone, venous retrun, and cardiac output are to a large extent controlled by circulating angiotensin II.