A group of 36 patients with cor pulmonale chronicum were treated for 12 months with ibopamine, a dopamine-related drug, orally active, suitable for the long-term therapy of congestive heart failure. In heart failure due to chronic pulmonary disease other drugs such as digitalis are hardly effective. The results obtained indicate that ibopamine, given alone or associated to other drugs, is clinically efficient in the treatment of cor pulmonale chronicum while very few side effects definitely related to ibopamine were reported. In particular no increase in arrhythmias or significant augmentation of anginal episodes was noted.