Dobutamine is a medication used in the treatment of

cardiogenic shock Cardiogenic shock is a medical emergency resulting from inadequate blood flow to the body's organs due to the dysfunction of the heart. Signs of inadequate blood flow include low urine production (<30 mL/hour), cool arms and legs, and decreased ...

(as a result of inadequate tissue perfusion) and severe

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. It may also be used in certain types of cardiac stress tests. It is given by IV only, as an injection into a vein or intraosseous as a continuous infusion. The amount of medication needs to be adjusted to the desired effect. Onset of effects is generally seen within 2 minutes. It has a half-life of two minutes. This drug is generally only administered short term, although it may be used for longer periods to relieve symptoms of

in patients awaiting heart transplantation. Common side effects include a fast heart rate, an irregular heart beat, and inflammation at the site of injection. Use is not recommended in those with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. It primarily works by direct stimulation of β₁ receptors, which increases the strength of the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

's contractions, leading to a positive inotropic effect. Generally it has little effect on a person's

heart rate Heart rate is the frequency of the cardiac cycle, heartbeat measured by the number of contractions of the heart per minute (''beats per minute'', or bpm). The heart rate varies according to the body's Human body, physical needs, including the nee ...

. Dobutamine was approved for medical use in the United States in 1978. It is available as a generic medication. It was initially made from isoproterenol.

Medical uses

Dobutamine is used to treat acute but potentially reversible

, such as which occurs during cardiac surgery or in cases of septic or cardiogenic shock, on the basis of its positive inotropic action. Dobutamine can be used in cases of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

to increase cardiac output. It is indicated when parenteral therapy is necessary for inotropic support in the short-term treatment of patients with cardiac decompensation due to depressed contractility, which could be the result of either organic heart disease or cardiac surgical procedures. Higher doses are not useful with history of recent ischemic heart disease because it increases heart rate and thus increases myocardial oxygen demand. The drug is also commonly used in the hospital setting as a pharmacologic stress testing agent to identify coronary artery disease.

Adverse effects

Primary side effects include those commonly seen for β₁ active sympathomimetics, such as

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

, angina, arrhythmia, and

tachycardia Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults. Heart rates above the resting rate may be normal ...

. Used with caution in atrial fibrillation as it has the effect of increasing the atrioventricular (AV) conduction. The most dangerous side effect of dobutamine is increased risk of arrhythmia, including fatal arrhythmias. Overall, dobutamine tends to produce less tachycardia and peripheral vascular effects than agents such as epinephrine and isoproterenol.

Pharmacology

Dobutamine is a direct-acting agent whose primary activity results from stimulation of the β₁-adrenoceptors of the heart, increasing contractility and cardiac output. Since it does not act on dopamine receptors to inhibit the release of

norepinephrine Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic compound, organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and human body, body as a hormone, neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. The ...

(another α₁ agonist), dobutamine is less prone to induce hypertension than is

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized ...

. Dobutamine is predominantly a β₁-adrenergic agonist, with weak β₂ activity, and α₁ selective activity, although it is used clinically in cases of cardiogenic shock for its β₁ inotropic effect in increasing heart contractility and cardiac output. Dobutamine is administered as a

racemic mixture In chemistry, a racemic mixture or racemate () is a mixture that has equal amounts (50:50) of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as r ...

consisting of both (+) and (−)

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...

s; the (+) isomer is a potent β₁ agonist and α₁ antagonist, while the (−) isomer is an α₁ agonist. The administration of the racemate results in the overall β₁ agonism responsible for its activity. (+)-Dobutamine also has mild β₂ agonist activity, which makes it useful as a vasodilator.

History

It was developed in the 1970s by Drs. Ronald Tuttle and Jack Mills at Eli Lilly and Company, as a structural analogue of isoprenaline.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar , Medicine Antihypotensive agents Beta1-adrenergic agonists Catecholamines Drugs developed by Eli Lilly and Company 4-Hydroxyphenyl compounds Inotropic agents Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate