Table 3. Properties and doses of commonly available intravenous vasodilators.

Agent	Class	Dose	Preload	Afterload	Elimination t1/2	Precautions
Nitroglycerine	Nitrate	Start 10–20 μg/min. Increase up to 200 μg/min	↓↓	↓ or –	1–4 minutes	Tachyphylaxis
Isosorbide Dinitrate	Nitrate	Start 1 mg/hr. Increase up to 10 mg/hr	↓↓	↓ or –	1–4 minutes	Tachyphylaxis
Nitroprusside	Nitrous oxide donors	Start 0.3 μg/kg/min. Increase up to 5 μg/kg/min	↓↓	↓↓	10 minutes	Isocyanate toxicity
Hydralazine	K+ channel agonist	Bolus: 5–10 mg then further 5–10 mg q20-30 min as required. Infusion: 0.5–10 mg/hr	↓	↓↓	2–8 hours	Long half life
Nesiritide limited availability	Natriuretic peptide	Bolus 2 μg/kg then infusion 0.01 μg/kg/min	↓↓	↓↓	20 minutes