Tag: Inotropic agents

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.

Catecholamines are a group of amines with a core catechol structure that function as critical neurotransmitters and hormones, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Medications within the broader category of **what drugs are under catecholamines?** include these endogenous substances as well as numerous synthetic agents and drugs that modulate their activity.

As a phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE3) inhibitor, milrinone increases cardiac contractility and causes vasodilation, but its direct effect on heart rate can be complex and variable. This medication is typically used for the short-term treatment of acute decompensated heart failure, yet a significant increase in heart rate, including serious arrhythmias, remains a known risk.