RESUMO
Vasoactive medications in clinical use exert their cardiovascular effects by interacting with adrenergic receptors and non-adrenergic receptors,including vasopressors,inotropes and vasodilators.A classi-fication of vasoactive drugs based on their direct effects on the heart(presence or absence of positive inotropic effects) and on vascular tone(vasoconstriction or vasodilation) include inodilators(dobutamine and milri-none),inoconstrictors(norepinephrine,epinephrine,and dopamine),pure vasoconstrictors(phenylephrine and vasopressin) and pure vasodilators(sodium nitroprusside).Selection of vasoactive medications based on de-sired pharmacologic effects that are matched to the patient′s underlying pathophysiology situation may opti-mize hemodynamics while reducing the potential of adverse effects.