Abstract
Background: Vasopressin is one of the strong vasopressor agents associated with ischemic events. Responses to the administration of vasopressin differ among patients with septic shock. Although the administration of a high dose of vasopressin needs to be avoided, the effects of bolus loading have not yet been examined. Since the half-life of vasopressin is longer than that of catecholamines, we hypothesized that vasopressin loading may be effective for predicting responses to its continuous administration.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive cases of septic shock for which vasopressin was introduced with loading under noradrenaline at >0.2 μg/kg/min during the study period. Vasopressin was administered in a 1 U bolus followed by its continuous administration at 1 U/h. The proportion of patients with a negative catecholamine index (CAI) change 6 h after the introduction of vasopressin was set as the primary outcome. We defined non-responders for exploration as those with a mean arterial pressure change <18 mmHg 1 min after vasopressin loading, among whom none had a change in CAI <0.Results: Twenty-one consecutive cases were examined in the present study, and included 14 responders and 7 non-responders. The primary outcome accounted for 71.4% of responders and 0% of non-responders, with a significant difference (p = 0.0039). Median CAI changes 2, 4, and 6 h after the administration of vasopressin were 0, −5, and −10 in responders and +20, +10, and +10 in non-responders, respectively. CAI was not reduced in any non-responder. Outcomes including mortality were not significantly different between responders and non-responders. Digital ischemia (1/21) and mesenteric ischemia (1/21) were observed.Conclusions: Vasopressin loading may predict responses to its continuous administration in septic shock patients. Further investigations involving a safety analysis are needed.
Highlights
Vasopressin is one of the strongest vasopressor agents used to treat septic shock [1]
We administer a 1 U bolus of vasopressin followed by continuous administration to patients with septic shock in whom blood pressure is not maintained at the target with adequate noradrenaline
We set a mean arterial pressure (MAP) increase of 18 mmHg 1 min after vasopressin loading as the cut-off of responders/non-responders for exploration, such that there was no case with changes in catecholamine index (CAI)
Summary
Vasopressin is one of the strongest vasopressor agents used to treat septic shock [1]. Regarding the dosage and administration of vasopressin, recent guidelines recommend continuous infusion up to 0.03 U/min (1.8 U/h) [5] because adverse events were occasionally reported with the administration of a high dose of vasopressin [13]. Since the half-life of vasopressin is 10–35 min [14] and a minimum blood concentration is needed for vasoconstriction [15], more time is needed to reach a steady state and achieve an adequate increase in blood pressure than that by catecholamines when continuously administered. Vasopressin loading with a bolus administration is occasionally performed in emergency medicine when immediate increases in blood pressure are needed to maintain the circulation. We administer a 1 U bolus of vasopressin followed by continuous administration to patients with septic shock in whom blood pressure is not maintained at the target with adequate noradrenaline. Since the half-life of vasopressin is longer than that of catecholamines, we hypothesized that vasopressin loading may be effective for predicting responses to its continuous administration
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