Tag: Cardiac contractility

Over 6 million American adults suffer from heart failure, a condition often requiring medical intervention to boost the heart's pumping ability. This is where positive inotropic solutions, like dobutamine and milrinone, become crucial for strengthening cardiac contractility. So, what is an example of an inotropic solution? Dobutamine is a common example, administered intravenously in critical care settings to improve cardiac output.

Approximately 6.7 million Americans over age 20 have heart failure, a condition where medications that modify heart muscle contraction are often essential [1.6.1]. **What is an inotropic agent?** It is a class of drugs that alters the force of the heart's contractions to improve blood circulation [1.2.3].

First developed by Ernest Starling in the early 20th century, the Starling heart lever is a mechanical instrument used in experimental pharmacology to record the force of cardiac contractions in isolated animal heart preparations. This classic apparatus was a pivotal tool for studying cardiac mechanics and was critical for demonstrating the foundational Frank-Starling law of the heart.

Over 50 years after its introduction, Aramine (metaraminol) remains a significant vasopressor used to treat hypotension in acute clinical settings. This sympathomimetic amine acts on the cardiovascular system through a dual mechanism to effectively increase blood pressure and improve circulation.