The decrease in cardiac output (CO) that follows nitric oxide (NO) synthesis inhibition is thought to be the result of an increase in systemic vascular resistance (SVR). We investigated whether sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and iloprost prevent the decrease in CO induced by short-term administration of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in anesthetized dogs. The left femoral artery and vein were cannulated for mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) measurement and drug administration, respectively. A Swan-Ganz thermodilution catheter was inserted into the right femoral vein and allowed the determination of CO and the calculation of SVR, expressed as the cardiac index (CI) and the index of systemic vascular resistance (ISVR), respectively. L-NAME (0.01-10.0 mg/kg; n = 13) induced dose-dependent increases in MABP and in the ISVR. These changes were accompanied by significant decreases in both the CI and the heart rate. SNP (1 microgram/kg/min; n = 6) virtually abolished L-NAME-induced hypertension and significantly attenuated both the increase in the ISVR (< 3.0 mg/kg) and the decrease in CO. Iloprost (50 ng/kg/min; n = 6) also abolished L-NAME-induced hypertension and markedly attenuated the increase in SVR. However, the decrease in CO was not prevented by this vasodilator. These results clearly demonstrate that the increase in SVR is not the major factor accounting for the decrease in CO after short-term NO synthesis inhibition in anesthetized dogs.