American heart journal
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American heart journal · Dec 2001
Comparative StudyComparison of dobutamine-based and milrinone-based therapy for advanced decompensated congestive heart failure: Hemodynamic efficacy, clinical outcome, and economic impact.
The use of parenteral positive inotropic agents still remains a major component of therapy for patients with advanced decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). However, no consensus guidelines have been developed for the appropriate selection of a first-line inotropic therapy. We sought to compare the clinical outcome and economic cost of dobutamine-based and milrinone-based therapy in patients with acute exacerbation of CHF. ⋯ Dobutamine-based therapy is an attractive approach for the treatment of decompensated advanced heart failure, achieving comparable clinical efficacy to milrinone with a significantly reduced economic cost.