Sustained reduction in valvular regurgitation and atrial volumes with tailored vasodilator therapy in advanced congestive heart failure secondary to dilated (ischemic or idiopathic) cardiomyopathy. Afterload reduction therapy can acutely improve hemodynamic function in patients with advanced heart failure; however, it is unknown if initial reductions in mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and atrial volumes can be sustained with oral therapy. Atrial volumes and atrioventricular valve regurgitation were measured using 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography with color-flow imaging in 14 patients with dilated heart failure (ejection fraction 17 +/- 4%) before and after 3 +/- 1 days of intensive vasodilator and diuretic therapy tailored to hemodynamic goals. Echocardiography was repeated again after 6 +/- 2 months on oral vasodilators and a flexible diuretic regimen. Acute therapy reduced systemic vascular resistance from 1,760 +/- 460 to 1,010 +/- 310 dynes.s.cm-5, pulmonary artery wedge pressure from 30 +/- 5 to 17 +/- 4 mm Hg, and right atrial pressure from 13 +/- 5 to 7 +/- 3 mm Hg, and led to a 61% increase in stroke volume (from 36 +/- 10 to 58 +/- 14 ml) (p less than 0.01). Mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, determined by color-flow fraction, initially decreased from 0.34 +/- 0.17 to 0.20 +/- 0.20 and from 0.33 +/- 0.15 to 0.13 +/- 0.13, respectively (p less than 0.001). This reduction was sustained at 6 months. Significant decreases occurred with acute therapy, with further reductions at 6 months in both mean left atrial volume (from 100 +/- 25 to 80 +/- 19 to 65 +/- 15 cm3) and right atrial volume (from 85 +/- 23 to 64 +/- 23 to 52 +/- 14 cm3) (p less than 0.001). 