Septic Shock — Vasopressin, Norepinephrine, and Urgency

Septic shock is one of the most challenging problems in critical care medicine. Shock due to sepsis accounts for many of the deaths in medical and surgical intensive care units.14 It is estimated that septic shock results in approximately 215,000 deaths per year in the United States, a number similar to the number of deaths from acute myocardial infarction. However, the two disorders are not similar with respect to the approach to evaluation and management. Myocardial infarction is easier to diagnose and usually presents with characteristic chest pain and electrocardiographic changes. The presentation of septic shock is much more . . .