Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effects of trimetazidine on cardiac function and autonomic function in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure. Methods 73 patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure were randomly divided into control group (conventional therapy, n=35) and trimetazidine group (conventional therapy plus oral trimetazidine, n=38). All the patients underwent echocardiography for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVd), and 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram for heart rate turbulence (HRT) indexes, turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) were calculated before and 3 months after treatment. Results 3 months after treatment, LVEF increased, and LVd shrank in both groups (P<0.01). LVEF improved better in the trimetazidine group than in the control group (P<0.001). TO decreased and TS increased in the trimetazidine group (P<0.05). Only TO decreased in the trimetazidine group (P<0.05). TO and TS improved better in the trimetazidine group than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Trimetazidine could improve cardiac function and autonomic function in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure.

Key words: coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, trimetazidine, heart rate turbulence