ABSTRACT
Since coordination of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems is needed in order to optimize oxygen transport, it is not surprising that drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease may have respiratory effects. Because of the close coupling between these systems, it is important to separate the respiratory effects of direct (or reflex) drug actions from those secondary to the improvement in the cardiovascular disease being treated. Thus, the respiratory effects of a drug when tested in normal subjects may be different from the clinical effects seen when the same drug is used in patients.
