title: Nonglycoside inotropes in congestive heart failure. Are they beneficial or harmful?
abstract: Nonglycosidic adrenergic and nonadrenergic inotropic drugs improve systemic hemodynamics and left ventricular function in patients with severe congestive heart failure. As these beneficial effects are observed with short-term therapy, the use of these agents should be restricted to the treatment of acute heart failure. Long-term therapy with adrenergic agents as well as the phosphodiesterase inhibitors appears to enhance mortality in patients with chronic systolic heart failure. Potential indications for long-term therapy with nonglycosidic inotropic drugs include vesnarinone and ibopamine for selected patients with refractory heart failure or as pharmacologic bridges to cardiac transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: DeMarco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents