THE XANTHINES (THEOBROMINE AND AMINOPHYLLINE) IN THE TREATMENT OF CARDIAC PAIN

An endeavor was made in this study to secure evidence on the question of whether the xanthines relieve cardiac pain. SELECTION OF PATIENTS The subjects were 100 ambulant patients in attendance at the cardiac clinic, in whom the diagnosis of arteriosclerotic heart disease with cardiac pain was made, in accordance with the nomenclature and criteria adopted by the New York Heart Association.1 They were selected from a total case load of approximately 700 patients, representing an average sample of the cardiac clinic population, comprising several racial groups, both native and foreign born. The study was conducted during a period of five years. The duration of the study in any given case varied from two to fifty months, the average being fifteen months. Some of the characteristics of the whole group are listed in table 1. None of these patients had signs of congestive heart failure. Only patients with pain on