From a monitored release of ibopamine, the 3,4-diisobutyryl ester of N-methyldopamine, during the early Italian marketing of the drug a collection of 311 individual cases was formed. The cases were reported by 168 cardiologist-practitioners, self-selected for having a therapeutic interest in the inotropic properties of ibopamine and in trying it out in patients with mostly severe, refractory congestive heart failure (CHF). Most patients were monitored during a hospital admission for worsened CHF. After clinical reassessment and other drugs' adjustment, ibopamine was added and the patient followed-up for 20 days in hospital with regular recording of scored signs and symptoms, arterial pressure, heart rate, body weight, and any clinical event--adverse or beneficial. Concomitant drugs were also recorded. Global assessment of efficacy was mostly positive, with "ineffective" rates of only 15.9% (doctors) and 14.2% (patients). In the absence of a control group, it is impossible to determine to what extent the foregoing was really due to ibopamine or to the rest of the therapeutic policy. However, the fact that most of the severe cases had been refractory to prior treatment, and that they individually carried a grave prognosis on admission, do seem to point to real ibopamine-related benefit. The high rate of symptomatic benefit perceived by the patients would also seem likely to be drug-related. Heart rate after the ibopamine-including regimen was significantly lower than before. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures also tended to decrease, especially in CHF of hypertensive etiology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)