Dobutamine stress echocardiography in healthy adult male rats

15 normal adult male Wistar rats (400–450 g)

Dobutamine intravenous infusion under continuous echocardiographic imaging. Protocol 1 (n=10): constant rate of 10 µg/kg/min. Protocol 2 (n=5): progressively increasing doses of 5, 10, and 20 µg/kg/min (each dose infused for 4 minutes).

Baseline measurements obtained under isoflurane anesthesia before the beginning of dobutamine infusion

Echocardiographic and hemodynamic response (heart rate, blood pressure, left ventricular dimensions, and ejection fraction) measured continuously during infusionsurrogate