Aim of study: In Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines 2012, noradrenalin (NA) is recommended as a first choice vasopressor. Although vasopressin (VP) is recommended for the treatment of NA-resistant septic shock, the optimal parameters for its administration remain unclear.
Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the administration of VP to adult septic shock patients who were undergoing high-dose NA (≥0.25 μg/kg/min) therapy in our Intensive Care Unit between January 2010 and December 2013. We defined high-dose NA as a dose of >0.25 μg/kg/min, based on the definition of low-dose NA as a dose of 5-14 μg/min because the average body weight of the patients in this study was 53.0 kg.
Results: Among 29 patients who required the administration of high-dose NA, 18 patients received VP. Although the patient background physiological conditions and NA dose did not differ between the two groups, the survival rate of the VP-treated patients was significantly lower (33%) than that of the patients who were managed with a high-dose of NA-alone (82%) (P = 0.014). The lactate clearance did not change after the administration of VP, whereas it improved when in NA treatment alone.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the administration of VP did not improve the mortality among septic shock patients when administered in addition to high-dose NA.
Keywords: Lactate clearance; noradrenalin; septic shock; vasopressin.