Indications: Used as an emergency method of elevating blood pressure where other measures have failed.

Cautions: coronary, mesenteric, or peripheral vascular thrombosis; flowing myocardial infarction, Prinzmetal’s variant angina, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus; hypoxia or hypercapnia; uncorrected hypovolemia; elderly; extravasation at injection site may cause necrosis; interactions: sympathomimetic.

Contra-indications: hypertension (monitor blood pressure and rate of flow frequently); pregnancy.

Side Effects: hypertension, headache, bradycardia, arrhythmias, peripheral ischaemia.

Dose: acute hypotension, by intravenous infusion, via central venous catheter, of a solution containing noradrenaline acid tartrate 80 mcg/ml (equivalent to noradrenaline base 40 mcg/ml) at an initial rate of 0.16 –0.33 ml/minute, adjusted according to response. Cardiac arrest, by rapid intravenous or intracardiac injection, 0.5 – 0.75ml of a solution containing noradrenaline acid tartrate 200 mcg/ml (equivalent to noradrenaline base 100 mcg/ml)