Half-Life of Dobutamine
The plasma half-life of dobutamine is 2 minutes. 1
Pharmacokinetic Profile
- Elimination half-life: Approximately 2 minutes in adults, full-term neonates, and older children 1, 2, 3, 4
- Onset of action: Within 1-2 minutes of intravenous infusion 1
- Time to peak effect: Up to 10 minutes may be required to achieve the peak hemodynamic effect at any given infusion rate 1
- Duration of action: Approximately 10 minutes after discontinuation 4
Special Population Considerations
- Preterm infants: The elimination half-life may be prolonged to 4-5 minutes due to physiologic immaturity 3
- Pediatric patients: The clearance of dobutamine varies widely depending on age, though the half-life remains approximately 2 minutes in full-term neonates and older children 3
Clinical Implications of Short Half-Life
- The extremely short half-life necessitates continuous intravenous infusion rather than bolus dosing for sustained therapeutic effect 1
- Hemodynamic effects dissipate rapidly upon discontinuation, typically within minutes 1, 4
- Dose titration is always necessary due to wide inter-patient variability in response, with the short half-life allowing rapid adjustment 1
- The brief half-life provides a safety advantage, as adverse effects (tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypotension) resolve quickly after stopping or reducing the infusion 5