Effects of amrinone on myocardial energetics in severe congestive heart failure

Animal and human studies suggest that amrinone can cause significant improvement in the systemic hemodynamics of patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF), and do so without increasing myocardial oxygen consumption. Because patients with CHF appear to be vulnerable to any further worsening of the myocardial oxygen supply-and-demand balance, amrinone may have a distinct advantage over catecholamine agents that tend to increase myocardial oxygen demand.