What is the main difference between inotropic, chronotropic and dromotropic? Inotropic is a cardiac drug that affects contraction. Chronotropic is a cardiac medication that affects the heart rate while dromotropic is another cardiac drug that affects the conducting tissue of the heart.
There are many cardiac drugs used to treat various heart diseases. People suffering from heart diseases need to understand how these cardiac drugs work and their side effects.
Cardiac drugs are grouped into inotropic, chronotropic, diuretics, anti-thrombotic, dromotropic, and more. These drugs play a crucial role to enhance the well-being of your heart.
Never go for over-the-counter medication to treat your heart condition. We recommend seeking assistance from a medical professional to diagnose and offer a prescription.
We wrote this article to provide detailed insights into the differences between inotropic, chronotropic, and dromotropic. The similarities listed will also help you understand the relationship between these cardiac drugs and their side effects.
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Differences Between Inotropic, Chronotropic and Dromotropic
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Inotropic |
Chronotropic |
Dromotropic |
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These are cardiac drugs that affect heart contraction. |
These are cardiac medications that affect the heart rate. |
These are cardiac drugs that affect the conducting tissues in the heart. |
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The cardiac drug is grouped into positive and negative inotropic drugs. |
The cardiac drug is grouped into positive and negative chronotropic drugs. |
The cardiac drug is grouped into positive and negative dromotropic drugs. |
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The cardiac drug control heart contraction. |
The cardiac drug control heart rate. |
The cardiac drug controls the heart conducting tissues. |
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The positive inotropic drug increases heart contraction. The negative inotropic drug decreases heart relaxation. |
Positive chronotropic drug increases heart rate. The negative chronotropic drug decreases heart rate. |
Positive dromotropic drug increases AV nodal conduction. The negative dromotropic drug decreases AV nodal conduction. |
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The inotropic drug affects systolic and diastolic cardiac function. |
The chronotropic drug affects the electrical conducting system of the heart and nerves. |
The dromotropic drug affects the AV nodal conduction. |
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Inotropic originated from the Greek word Ino that means fiber or sinew. |
Chronotropic originated from the Greek word Chrono which means time and tropos means a turn. |
Dromotropic originated from the Greek word dromo that means running or race. |
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Examples: Positive inotropic drug- Adrenaline and dopamine. Negative inotropic drug- Propanolol and labetalol. |
Examples: Positive chronotropic drug – Adrenaline. Negative chronotropic drug – Digoxin |
Examples: Positive dromotropic drug – Phenytoin. Negative dromotropic drug – verapamil. |
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What Is An Inotropic Drug?
It is a kind of cardiac drug that controls the contraction of the heart muscles. These cardiac medications usually affect heart contraction in two ways.
The positive inotropic drug is a cardiac drug that increases heart muscle contraction. The negative inotropic drugs decrease heart muscle contraction.
According to science, inotropes are drugs used to deal with cardiac contractility. Besides that, these drugs help in treating heart attacks and stroke.
The inotropic drug is grouped into positive and negative inotropes. The performance of these cardiac medications depends on the condition of the patient.
Examples of positive inotropic drugs are adrenaline and dopamine. Examples of negative inotropic drugs are labetalol and propranolol.
What Is A Chronotropic Drug?
It is a type of cardiac medication that helps to control the heart rate. These medications regulate the heart ion channels such as sodium, potassium, and calcium channels.
These cardiac medications allow more or fewer ions to flow into heart pacemaker cells. Chronotropic drugs are grouped into positive and negative chronotropes.
The positive chronotropes increase the heart rate. The negative chronotropes decrease the heart rate. According to science, these cardiac medications change the heart rate and rhythm.
An example of positive chronotropes is adrenaline and negative chronotrope is digoxin. Keep in mind that these cardiac medications are prescribed by a professional medical doctor.
What Is A Dromotropic Drug?
It is a type of cardiac medication that affects the heart conducting tissue function. The cardiac drug helps to improve the heart impulses in human beings.
According to science, dromotropes alter the traveling speed of the SA node to the AV node. The AV node is known for conducting tissue.
Dromotropes are grouped into positive and negative dromotropic. The positive dromotropic drug increases conducting tissue velocity and the negative dromotropic drug decreases conducting velocity.
An example of positive dromotrope is phenytoin and negative dromotrope is verapamil. These cardiac medications are prescribed to a patient depending on their condition.
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Differences between Inotropic, Chronotropic, and Dromotropic
- Inotropic is a cardiac drug that affects contraction. Chronotropic is a cardiac drug that affects heart rate while dromotropic is another cardiac drug that affects conducting tissues in the heart.
- The categories of inotropic drugs are positive medication and negative drugs. Chronotropic drugs are either positive medication or negative drugs. Dromotropic drugs are favorable positive medication and negative drugs.
- Inotropic cardiac drugs are known for altering the force causing muscle contraction in the heart. Chronotropic cardiac drugs help to take care of a patient’s heart rate.
- Dromotropic cardiac drugs are typically used in the regulation of conducting tissues in the heart of an individual.
- An example of inotropic drugs is beta-blockers or dopamine while chronotropic cardiac drugs are Atropine or metoprolol. Dromotropic drugs are either Phenytoin or verapamil
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Similarities between Inotropic, Chronotropic and Dromotropic
- Both have long term effect
- Both deal with the functioning of the heart
- Both terms originated from Greek
- Both Have negative and positive types
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Are Inotropic Effects?
Inotrope is an agent that alters the energy or force of muscular contraction. The positive inotropic increases the strength of muscular contraction while the negative inotropic decreases muscular contraction.
- Is Digoxin Chronotropic or Inotropic?
Digitalis glycosides foster positive inotropic which increases myocardial contraction while glycosides are negative chronotropic which lowers the heart rate.
- Are Beta-Blockers Inotropic or Chronotropic?
Both negative inotropic and chronotropic effects result from Antianginal effects. These two effect causes a decrease in cardiac workload and oxygen demand.
Therefore, the negative effect of chronotropic enhances the life-saving property of heart rate control. Beta-blockers are readily titrated to optimal rate control in many pathologic states.
- Is Dopamine Inotropic, Chronotropic, or Dromotropic?
Positive inotropic that increases muscular contraction, positive chronotropic that increase heart rate and positive dromotropic that increases the rate of conduction through AV node are as a result of stimulated Beta1-adrenergic receptors in the heart.
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Conclusion
The discussion above and the podcast video highlight some of the essential things regarding the differences between inotropic, chronotropic, and dromotropic terms.
The article also provides some information about the types and examples of medication rotating around each type. I hope the article was useful. Feel free to use the comment section below and share your views or experience. Good Luck.
More Sources and References
- Osowski U. Congestive Heart Failure. National Institute of Health
- E. N. Moore. Effect of Inotropic, Chronotropic, and Dromotropic. Wiley Online Library
- Reginald P. Sequeira. Dromotropic. Science Direct