What is Inotropic Therapy? | Conditions & Tests

Inotropic therapy is an infusion of medication that changes your heart’s calcium level, which helps make your heart muscle contract. The therapy can be used to slow your heart rate for better control of arrhythmias, or it can trigger stronger muscle contractions to relieve symptoms from conditions such as heart failure.

Our Advanced Heart Failure Program is one of the select programs that uses inotropic therapy as an in-home management for patients with end-stage heart failure. We also integrate our treatment with palliative care services to provide you with personalized pain management during treatment.

What to expect during inotropic therapy

Your doctor will provide you with any diet changes and exercise recommendations before you begin the therapy. When you start the therapy, you’ll be admitted to the hospital for observation. The medication will be delivered through an IV in your arm or hand. An infusion pump will provide the correct dosage at specific times.

When you return home, you will be monitored by a home health nurse, who will watch for symptoms and work with you to make dosage adjustments as needed.

Stop the infusion and call your doctor right away if you experience side effects such as:

Irregular heartbeat
Pain near the IV
Fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit
Pump malfunction

Conditions

Advanced heart failure

Advanced heart failure is a form of heart failure that has progressed to the most serious stage.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease that weakens or changes the structure of your heart muscle, which makes it difficult for your heart to fill with and pump blood.

Heart failure

Heart failure occurs when your heart doesn’t fill with enough blood or doesn’t pump enough blood throughout your body.