Cardiotonic
This information is not intended for purposes of treatment without physician.
Description of the pharmacological group
The medicines, which predominantly influence contracting status of the heart muscle
The medicines, which predominantly influence contracting status of heart muscle, include cardiac (increasing the reductibility of myocardium) means and β- adrenoblockers (the medicines, which reduce the reductibility of myocardium). cardiac medicines in the clinical practice predominantly are used for treating the sharp and chronic heart insufficiency. The spectrum of the application of β- adrenoblockers is considerably wider. They are used in the complex therapy of the ischemic disease of heart, arterial hypertonia, disturbances of cardiac rhythm and number of other illnesses. The clinical effectiveness of this group of medicines in patients, who suffer the ischemic disease of heart and arterial hypertonia, is in many respects caused by their ability to reduce the reductibility of heart muscle and to slow down the frequency of the heart contractions.
To the cardiotonic (from the Greek. kardia - heart, tonos - stress) relates group of medicines, which possess the ability to increase contracting status of heart muscle.
Cardiac means widely are used for treating the heart insufficiency. Together with the preparations, which stimulate the contracting activity of myocardium (cardiac glycosides), widely are used the means, which decrease the load on the myocardium and which facilitate the operation of the heart, which decrease power expenditures of heart muscle and improving thus its function not by stimulation, but by its more economical activity.
Classification
By such means of complex therapy are, first of all, the peripheral vasodilators, reducing pre- and afterload of the myocardium by decreasing of peripheral vascular resistance and expansion of peripheral vascular bed, and also the diuretic means, which decrease the load on the myocardium, rendering hypovolemic action, i.e. reducing the volume of the blood circulating plasma.
To a certain degree cardiotonic properties possess the means, which have the general positive effect on the metabolic processes of organism, including the metabolism of myocardium (anabolic hormones, riboxin and other). In the treatment of sharp heart insufficiency, besides pressor amines, they began to use the more contemporary adrenomimetic preparations (Dopamine, Dobutrex) and cardiotonics of nonglycoside and nonadrenergic nature (Korotrop (Milrinon)).