Arbutamine was indicated to elicit acute cardiovascular responses in order to aid in diagnosing the presence or absence of coronary artery disease in patients who cannot exercise adequately. Arbutamine is a synthetic catecholamine with positive chronotropic and inotropic properties. The chronotropic (increase in heart rate [HR]) and inotropic (increase in force of contraction) effects of arbutamine serve to mimic exercise by increasing cardiac work (producing stress) and provoke myocardial ischemia in patients with compromised coronary arteries. In functional assays, arbutamine is more selective for beta-adrenergic receptors than for alpha-adrenergic receptors. The beta-agonist activity of arbutamine provides cardiac stress by increasing HR, cardiac contractility, and systolic blood pressure.