Drugs Acting on the Heart

Abstract

The function of the heart is to maintain a flow of blood through the systemic and pulmonary circulations commensurate with the needs of the tissues, and the return of blood by the venous systems. For the heart to perform perfectly in all circumstances its rhythm and neurological control must be normal, and the conduction of the impulse through the heart muscle intact. The force and amplitude of myocardial contraction must be able to increase appropriately in response to a pressure or volume load, and flow of blood through the coronary vessels must be unimpeded. Symptoms of heart disease occur only when one or more of these vital mechanisms is disturbed: rhythm, conduction, myocardial function, or coronary flow. The drugs which act on the heart may conveniently be considered in relation to these four mechanisms. © 1971, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.