Refractory shock is a lethal manifestation of cardiovascular failure defined by an inadequate
hemodynamic response to high doses of vasopressor medications. Approximately 7% of …

Vasoplegic syndrome is a common occurrence following cardiothoracic surgery and is
characterized as a high-output shock state with poor systemic vascular resistance. The …

Importance β-Blocker therapy may control heart rate and attenuate the deleterious effects of
β-adrenergic receptor stimulation in septic shock. However, β-Blockers are not traditionally …

Background Levosimendan is a calcium-sensitizing drug with inotropic and other properties
that may improve outcomes in patients with sepsis. Methods We conducted a double-blind …

Background Vasoplegic syndrome is a common complication after cardiac surgery and
impacts negatively on patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether …

Importance Vasopressin is an alternative to catecholamine vasopressors for patients with
distributive shock—a condition due to excessive vasodilation, most frequently from severe …

Sepsis is a major growing global burden and a major challenge to intensive care clinicians,
researchers, guideline committee members and policy makers, because of its high and …

Importance Dexmedetomidine provides sedation for patients undergoing ventilation;
however, its effects on mortality and ventilator-free days have not been well studied among …

Purpose The abdomen is the second most common source of sepsis and is associated with
unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Recently, the essential definitions of sepsis and …

Purpose In shock, hypotension may contribute to inadequate oxygen delivery, organ failure
and death. We conducted the Optimal Vasopressor Titration (OVATION) pilot trial to inform …