Heart rate-corrected STI integrate and reflect changes in ventricular inotropy, preload and afterload. STI represent a global method for the evaluation of cardiovascular performance, provided very well controlled study designs, including positive and negative controls and strictly standardised conditions are followed. STI are accurate, economic, reproducable and are very sensitive. They represent a useful non-invasive tool in clinical pharmacology for assessing the influence of drugs, their dose-effect relationships, and the time course of their effects on the cardiovascular system. © 1993 Springer-Verlag.
