Inotropy
Relating to the strength in each heart beat. Conventional ioniccontrast media have a strong negative inotropic effect; i.e. they lower the strength in each contraction and lower the systolic blood pressure. At the same time an increase in the Left Ventricle End Diastolic Pressure (LVEDP) is often seen. It is possible to reduce the negative inotropic effect but less than the high osmolar media. Some of the non-ionic contrast media have shown a weak positive inotropic effect in animal experiments, but basically non-ionic contrast media do not affect myocardial contractility significantly in clinical cardioangiography.
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