INN monograph
Dobutamine
Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class) · POM
Verified · Updated 01 Aug 2026 · Source: Local active-ingredient clinical extract; FDA drug label via OpenFDA/DailyMed; Professional class pharmacology (Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class))
Kenya market
Wholesale / list prices where loaded
Risk first
Contraindications
- Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP is contraindicated in patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and in patients who have shown previous manifestations of hypersensitivity to dobutamine or any of its components.
Precautions
- Increase in Heart Rate or Blood Pressure Dobutamine hydrochloride may cause a marked increase in heart rate or blood pressure, especially systolic pressure.
- Approximately 10% of adult patients in clinical studies have had rate increases of 30 beats/minute or more, and about 7.5% have had a 50-mm Hg or greater increase in systolic pressure.
- Usually, reduction of dosage reverses these effects.
- Because dobutamine facilitates atrioventricular conduction, patients with atrial fibrillation are at risk of developing rapid ventricular response.
- In patients who have atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response, a digitalis preparation should be used prior to institution of therapy with dobutamine.
- Patients with pre-existing hypertension appear to face an increased risk of developing an exaggerated pressure response.
- Ectopic Activity Dobutamine may precipitate or exacerbate ventricular ectopic activity, but it rarely has caused ventricular tachycardia.
- Hypersensitivity Reactions suggestive of hypersensitivity associated with administration of Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP, including skin rash, fever, eosinophilia, and bronchospasm, have been reported occasionally.
- Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP contains sodium bisulfite, a sulfite that may cause allergic-type reactions, including anaphylactic symptoms and life-threatening or less severe asthmatic episodes, in certain susceptible people.
- The overall prevalence of sulfite sensitivity in the general population is unknown and probably low.
- Sulfite sensitivity is seen more frequently in asthmatic than in nonasthmatic people.
Point of care
Dosing
Adult
Recommended Dosage Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP is administered intravenously through a suitable intravenous catheter or needle. A calibrated electronic infusion device is recommended for controlling the rate of flow in mL/hour or drops/minute. Infusion of dobutamine should be started at a low rate (0.5 to 1.0 µg/kg/min) and titrated at intervals of a few minutes, guided by the patient's response, including systemic blood pressure, urine flow, frequency of ectopic activity, heart rate, and (whenever possible) measurements of cardiac output, central venous pressure, and/or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. In reported trials, the optimal infusion rates have varied from patient to patient, usually 2 to 20 µg/kg/min but sometimes slightly outside of this range. On rare occasions, infusion rates up to 40 µg/kg/min have been required to obtain the desired effect. Rates of infusion in mL/hour for dobutamine hydrochloride concentrations of 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mg/L may be calculated using the following formula: This container system may be inappropriate for the dosage requirements of pediatric patients under 30 kg. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit. Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP solutions may exhibit a pink color that, if present, will increase with time. This color change is due to slight oxidation of the drug, but there is no significant loss of potency. Solutions containing dextrose should not be administered through the same administration set as blood, as this may result in pseudoagglutination or hemolysis. Do not add supplementary medications to Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. Do not administer Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP simultaneously with solutions containing sodium bicarbonate or strong alkaline solutions. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE To Open Tear outer wrap at notch and remove solution container. Some opacity of the plastic due to moisture absorption during the sterilization process may be observed. This is normal and does not affect the solution quality or safety. The opacity will diminish gradually. Preparation for Administration (Use aseptic technique) 1. Close flow control clamp of administration set. 2. Remove cover from outlet port at bottom of container. 3. Insert piercing pin of administration set into port with a twisting motion until the set is firmly seated. NOTE: See full directions on administration set carton. 4. Suspend container from hanger. 5. Squeeze and release drip chamber to establish proper fluid level in chamber. 6. Open flow control clamp and clear air from set. Close clamp. 7. Attach set to venipuncture device. If device is not indwelling, prime and make venipuncture. 8. Regulate rate of administration with flow control clamp. WARNING: Do not use flexible container in series connections. DA
Paediatric
Weight-based — use paediatric formulary / SmPC.
Renal
Review renal impairment dosing; many agents need CrCl/eGFR adjustment.
- CrCl 0–120: Confirm renal dosing in product SmPC / primary label.
Hepatic
Review hepatic impairment dosing; monitor LFTs if agent is hepatically cleared or hepatotoxic.
Safety
Drug interactions
- Professional use: confirm indication, dose, duration, monitoring and patient counselling points against current Kenya STG / EML and the product SmPC.
- Document allergy status and key interactions.
Safety
Adverse effects
- Increased Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Ventricular Ectopic Activity: A 10- to 20-mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure and an increase in heart rate of 5 to 15 beats/minute have been noted in most patients (see WARNINGS regarding exaggerated chronotropic and pressor effects).
- Approximately 5% of adult patients have had increased premature ventricular beats during infusions.
- These effects are dose related.
- Hypotension: Precipitous decreases in blood pressure have occasionally been described in association with dobutamine therapy.
- Decreasing the dose or discontinuing the infusion typically results in rapid return of blood pressure to baseline values.
- In rare cases, however, intervention may be required and reversibility may not be immediate.
- Stress Cardiomyopathy: Stress cardiomyopathy has been reported with dobutamine in association with cardiac stress testing.
- Reactions at Sites of Intravenous Infusion: Phlebitis has occasionally been reported.
- Local inflammatory changes have been described following inadvertent infiltration.
- Miscellaneous Uncommon Effects: The following adverse effects have been reported in 1% to 3% of adult patients: nausea, headache, anginal pain, nonspecific chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath.
- Administration of dobutamine, like other catecholamines, has been associated with decreases in serum potassium concentrations, rarely to hypokalemic values.
Use
Indications
- Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP is indicated when parenteral therapy is necessary for inotropic support in the short-term treatment of patients with cardiac decompensation due to depressed contractility resulting either from organic heart disease or from cardiac surgical procedures.
- Experience with intravenous dobutamine in controlled trials does not extend beyond 48 hours of repeated boluses and/or continuous infusions.
- Whether given orally, continuously intravenously, or intermittently intravenously, neither dobutamine nor any other cyclic-AMP-dependent inotrope has been shown in controlled trials to be safe or effective in the long-term treatment of congestive heart failure.
- In controlled trials of chronic oral therapy with various such agents, symptoms were not consistently alleviated, and the cyclic-AMP-dependent inotropes were consistently associated with increased risks of hospitalization and death.
- Patients with NYHA Class IV symptoms appeared to be at particular risk.
Pharmacology
Mode of action
Mechanism is agent-specific.
Full mechanism text
Mechanism is agent-specific. At receptor, enzyme, ion channel, transporter or microbial target level, the drug alters a physiological or pathological pathway to produce its therapeutic effect. Confirm precise molecular mechanism in current SmPC / pharmacology reference for this INN before high-stakes decisions.
ADME
Pharmacokinetics & PD
| Onset | Product-specific |
|---|---|
| Duration | Product-specific |
| Route | INTRAVENOUS |
| Metabolism | are methylation of the catechol and conjugation. In human urine, the major |
| Elimination | products are the conjugates of dobutamine and 3-O-methyl dobutamine. The 3-O-methyl derivative of dobutamine is inactive. Alteration of synaptic concentrations of catecholamines with either reserpine or tricyclic antidepressants does not alter the actions of dobutamine in animals... |
| Half-life | of dobutamine in humans is 2 minutes. The principal routes of |
Full PK/PD text
Dobutamine is a direct-acting inotropic agent whose primary activity results from stimulation of the β-receptors of the heart while producing comparatively mild chronotropic, hypertensive, arrhythmogenic, and vasodilative effects. It does not cause the release of endogenous norepinephrine, as does dopamine. In animal studies, dobutamine produces less increase in heart rate and less decrease in peripheral vascular resistance for a given inotropic effect than does isoproterenol. In patients with depressed cardiac function, both dobutamine and isoproterenol increase the cardiac output to a similar degree. In the case of dobutamine, this increase is usually not accompanied by marked increases in heart rate (although tachycardia is occasionally observed), and the cardiac stroke volume is usually increased. In contrast, isoproterenol increases the cardiac index primarily by increasing the heart rate while stroke volume changes little or declines. Facilitation of atrioventricular conduction has been observed in human electrophysiologic studies and in patients with atrial fibrillation. Systemic vascular resistance is usually decreased with administration of dobutamine. Occasionally, minimum vasoconstriction has been observed. Most clinical experience with dobutamine is short-term, not more than several hours in duration. In the limited number of patients who were studied for 24, 48, and 72 hours, a persistent increase in cardiac output occurred in some, whereas output returned toward baseline values in others. The onset of action of Dobutamine in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP is within 1 to 2 minutes; however, as much as 10 minutes may be required to obtain the peak effect of a particular infusion rate. The plasma half-life of dobutamine in humans is 2 minutes. The principal routes of metabolism are methylation of the catechol and conjugation. In human urine, the major excretion products are the conjugates of dobutamine and 3-O-methyl dobutamine. The 3-O-methyl derivative of dobutamine is inactive. Alteration of synaptic concentrations of catecholamines with either reserpine or tricyclic antidepressants does not alter the actions of dobutamine in animals, which indicates that the actions of dobutamine are not dependent on presynaptic mechanisms. The effective infusion rate of dobutamine varies widely from patient to patient, and titration is always necessary (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). At least in pediatric patients, dobutamine-induced increases in cardiac output and systemic pressure are generally seen, in any given patient, at lower infusion rates than those that cause substantial tachycardia (see PRECAUTIONS, Pediatric Use).
Kenya
Brands & prices
| Brand | Company | Pack | KES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dobucin | Troikaa Pharmaceuticals | Standard Commercial Pack | — |
Special populations
Pregnancy & lactation
Pregnancy
Use only if potential benefit justifies potential risk; prefer agents with better reproductive data when alternatives exist.
Lactation
Assess infant risk vs benefit of maternal therapy; prefer agents with lactation data.
Diet
Food & alcohol
- Food
- Food
Trust
Sources & disclaimer
Source: Local active-ingredient clinical extract; FDA drug label via OpenFDA/DailyMed; Professional class pharmacology (Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class))
Last reviewed: 01 Aug 2026
Decision support only — not a substitute for clinical judgment, product SmPC, or Kenya STG/EML.