Hemodynamic effects of dobutamine in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

The effects of dobutamine infusion on cardiac output, hepatic blood flow, and the gradient between wedged and free hepatic venous pressures were studied in 14 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Cardiac output rose from 5.8 +/- 1.2 l/min (mean +/- SD) to 7.1 +/- 1.5 l/min. Hepatic blood flow and the gradient between wedged and free hepatic venous pressures did not change significantly during the dobutamine infusion (1.360 +/- 0.510 l/min to 1.446 +/- 0.502 l/min and 17.7 +/- 4.9 mm Hg to 17.9 +/- 3.7 mm Hg). We conclude that in alcoholic cirrhotic patients, dobutamine increased cardiac output as a result of increased heart rate and that there were no significant changes in percentage of cardiac output distributed to the liver.