Evaluation of vasopressin use in the management of refractory shock in patients admitted to the intensive care unit

Refractory shock is characterized by hemodynamic instability unresponsive to norepinephrine with a high mortality rate. As there are still doubts regarding the pharmacological benefit of the vasopressin addition, this retrospective study aimed to assess the profile of vasopressin use in the intensive care unit of a university hospital in Paraná, Brazil. The information collected was obtained through the analysis of electronic medical records. 73 patients with refractory shock, mainly of septic etiology (61.6%), were included. The dose (μg/Kg/minute) and duration of norepinephrine, upon finding refractoriness, was 35.6% infusion < 1, 34, 3% of 1-1.9, 30.1% > 2 and mean time of 1.5 days. High mortality (80.8%) was observed, with a mean hospital stay of 8.2 days. Median survival after vasopressin infusion was 4.5 days until the unfavorable outcome. Still, 80.5% of patients used other adjuvant therapy, 71.2% being corticotherapy and 9.6% dobutamine. Due to the great variability, it was not possible to define a pattern of use. There were limitations in the analysis due to the lack of clinical and prognostic information. However, the need for deepening scientific discussions and continuous updating of protocols that guide management is highlighted.