Starting the blood pressure drug vasopressin earlier did not improve survival, shorten hospital stays, or speed recovery for adults with septic shock, compared with waiting until their condition worsened, according to a trial published online in JAMA on October 14. The study enrolled 3,959 adults at 13 Intermountain Health hospitals in Utah and Idaho.
The question comes up often in intensive care units (ICUs). Some critical care teams add vasopressin soon after a patient needs a blood pressure drug, while others wait until the patient needs higher doses of the first drug.
