Dobutamine

Dobutamine

Clinical data
Trade names	Dobutrex
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
MedlinePlus	a682861
Pregnancy category	B
Routes of administration	Intravenous
ATC code	C01CA07 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	In general: ℞ (Prescription only)
Pharmacokinetic data
Biological half-life	2 minutes
Identifiers
IUPAC name (RS)-4-(2-{[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-yl]amino}ethyl)benzene-1,2-diol
Synonyms	Dobutrex, Inotrex
CAS Number	34368-04-2 Y
PubChem CID	36811
IUPHAR/BPS	535
DrugBank	DB00841 Y
ChemSpider	33786 Y
UNII	0WR771DJXV
KEGG	D03879 Y
ChEBI	CHEBI:4670 Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL926 Y
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C18H23NO3
Molar mass	301.38 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
Chirality	Racemic mixture
SMILES Oc1ccc(cc1O)CCNC(C)CCc2ccc(O)cc2
InChI InChI=1S/C18H23NO3/c1-13(2-3-14-4-7-16(20)8-5-14)19-11-10-15-6-9-17(21)18(22)12-15/h4-9,12-13,19-22H,2-3,10-11H2,1H3 Y Key:JRWZLRBJNMZMFE-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y

Dobutamine is a sympathomimetic drug used in the treatment of heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Its primary mechanism is direct stimulation of β₁ receptors of the sympathetic nervous system. Dobutamine was developed in the 1970s by Drs. Ronald Tuttle and Jack Mills at Eli Lilly and Company, as a structural analogue of isoprenaline.

Dobutamine is used to treat acute but potentially reversible heart failure, 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 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. It is not useful in 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.

Primary side effects include those commonly seen for β₁ active sympathomimetics, such as hypertension, angina, arrhythmia, and tachycardia. Used with caution in atrial fibrillation as it has the effect of increasing the atrioventricular (AV) conduction.