The relationship "heart rate - left ventricular pressure" was investigated in the isolated canine heart perfused with constant pressure at different preloads. Rhythmical stimulation was performed with constant stimulus interval duration and with stimulus intervals randomly changed near the average value (150-200 stimuli in series). Correlation and dispersion function analysis show that rhythm dispersion had a negative inotropic effect which was independent of the preload of the ventricle in the range of 120-180 beat/min, but this dependence occurred with low rats of stimulation. This method is proposed for the assessment of contractility under conditions of heart rate variations (physiological and pathological arrhythmias).