Vasodilator Drugs in Peripheral Vascular Disease

Abstract

DRUGS that increase blood flow by direct or indirect action on the peripheral blood vessels are termed "vasodilators." These agents are widely advertised in medical journals and consume a substantial percentage of the drug dollar in this country.1 Although most vasodilator drugs have been shown to increase blood flow to the limbs and various organs in animal experiments and sometimes in normal human subjects, their use in peripheral vascular diseases remains questionable.For therapeutic purposes, peripheral vascular diseases can be generally classified into obstructive or vasospastic; the most common examples of each category are arteriosclerosis obliterans and Raynaud's disease, respectively. . . .