Antihypotensive agent

From WikiProjectMed
(Redirected from Antihypotensive)
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Main pharmacodynamic and cardiovascular effects of dobutamine.[1]

An antihypotensive agent, also known as a vasopressor agent or simply vasopressor, or pressor, is any substance, whether endogenous or a medication, that tends to raise low blood pressure.[2] Some antihypotensive drugs act as vasoconstrictors to increase total peripheral resistance; some drugs (e.g. glucocorticoids) sensitize adrenoreceptors to catecholamines;[3] and others (e.g. dopamine, dobutamine) increase cardiac output.

If low blood pressure is due to blood loss, then preparations increasing volume of blood circulation—plasma-substituting solutions such as colloid and crystalloid solutions (salt solutions)[4]—will raise the blood pressure without any direct vasopressor activity. Packed red blood cells, plasma or whole blood should not be used solely for volume expansion or to increase oncotic pressure of circulating blood.[medical citation needed] Blood products should only be used if reduced oxygen carrying capacity or coagulopathy is present.[medical citation needed] Other causes of either absolute (dehydration, loss of plasma via wound/burns) or relative (third space losses) vascular volume depletion also respond, although blood products are only indicated if significantly anemic.

Classification

Antihypotensive agents can be classified as follows:[citation needed]

References

  1. Dubin, Arnaldo; Lattanzio, Bernardo; Gatti, Luis (2017). "The spectrum of cardiovascular effects of dobutamine - from healthysubjects to septic shock patients". Revista Brasileira de Terapia Intensiva. 29 (4): 490–498. doi:10.5935/0103-507X.20170068. ISSN 0103-507X.
  2. "Antihypotensive definition". Drugs.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  3. Farias-Silva, Elisângela; Grassi-Kassisse, Dora Maria; Wolf-Nunes, Valéria; Spadari-Bratfisch, Regina Célia (1999). "Stress-induced alteration in the lipolytic response to β-adrenoceptor agonists in rat white adipocytes". Journal of Lipid Research. JLR.org. 40 (9): 1719–1727. doi:10.1016/S0022-2275(20)33419-2. PMID 10484620. Archived from the original on 2015-08-08. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  4. "Intravenous fluid therapy in adults in hospital". NICE. May 2017. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.