Which class of medications will reduce afterload on the heart?

ACE inhibitors are beneficial in all stages of chronic heart failure. Pharmacologic effects result in a decrease in systemic vascular resistance, reducing blood pressure, preload, and afterload.

Are ACE inhibitors afterload reducers?

RICHARD SADOVSKY, M.D. Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce afterload and improve cardiac output.

Do beta blockers decrease afterload?

Beta-blocker therapy results in the improvement of the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, reversal remodeling, heart rate control, effective prevention of the malignant arrhythmias, and lowering of the both cardiac afterload and preload in patients with chronic heart failure.

What can decrease cardiac afterload?

The afterload can be decreased by any process that lowers blood pressure. Mitral regurgitation also decreases afterload since blood has two directions to leave the left ventricle. Chronic elevation of the afterload leads to pathologic cardiac structural changes including left ventricular hypertrophy.

Does Lasix reduce preload or afterload?

Furosemide (Lasix) Furosemide reduces preload by diuresis in 20-60 minutes. It may contribute to hastened preload reduction with a direct vasoactive mechanism, but this is controversial.

Which drugs reduce preload and afterload?

Milrinone. Milrinone is a positive inotropic agent and vasodilator. It reduces afterload and preload and increases cardiac output.

Does digoxin decrease afterload?

Digoxin in increasing doses slowed the heart rate at rest; with the daily dose of 0.50 mg from 63 +/- 10 to 53 +/- 6 beats min-1, and fractional shortening rose from 28 +/- 6 to 33 +/- 3% (P less than 0.05 for both). Preload, afterload and cardiac output did not change.

Does nitroglycerin decrease afterload?

Nitroglycerin reduces left ventricular afterload through arterial dilation as well as preload through venous dilation. This effect on afterload is not apparent from measurement of pressure in the brachial artery.

What drugs increase afterload?

Norepinephrine increases blood pressure and afterload; it may decrease cardiac output and increase myocardial oxygen demand and cardiac ischemia. This agent is generally reserved for patients with severe hypotension (eg, systolic blood pressure < 70 mm Hg) or hypotension unresponsive to other medication.

Does labetalol affect preload or afterload?

We conclude that labetalol is an effective drug for treating systemic hypertension in AMI which acutely decreases total systemic resistance and preload in patients with moderate left ventricular failure.

Does dobutamine reduce afterload?

IV dobutamine induces significant positive inotropic effects, with mild chronotropic effects. It also induces mild peripheral vasodilation (decrease in afterload). The combination effect of increased inotropy with decreased afterload significantly increases cardiac output.

Does nitroglycerin reduce afterload?