[Echocardiographic measurements of hemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of prenalterol (author's transl)].

The dose-dependent haemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics and parenteral prenalterol (0.5-10 microgram/kg/min), a new cardioselective beta-1-adrenoceptor agonist, have been studied in 10 healthy volunteers by computed echocardiography. Prenalterol induced a dose-dependent strong and persistent increase in contractility (FV 46%, VCF70 64%, STI 12%), heart index (46%) and heart rate (27%) and a moderate not significant decrease in VED (14%). Afterload and mean arterial blood pressure was nearly unaltered. The hemodynamically effective threshold concentration of prenalterol in plasma was 20-30 nmol/l, the mean value of maximum concentration 493 nmol/l; 1 hour after stopping the infusion prenalterol plasma level was about 90 nmol/l. A strong linear correlation between the haemodynamic alterations and the logarithm of prenalterol plasma concentrations was not apparent.