• Mabrouk Bahloul, Mohamed Samet, Anis Chaari, Najla Ben Aljia, Mohamed Nouri Ben Mbarek, Hedi Chelly, Hassen Dammak, Ben Hamida Chokri C, Noureddine Rekik, Hatem Kallel, and Mounir Bouaziz.
• Department of Intensive Care, Habib Bourguiba University, Sfax, Tunisia.
• Tunis Med. 2012 Apr 1; 90 (4): 291-9.

BackgroundHypotension and shocks are frequently observed in patients requiring admission in ICU. However, the optimal adrenergic support in shock is controversial.AimTo perform a descriptive approach of the current use of catecholamine in a medico-surgical ICU in patients with schoks.MethodsOur study is prospective over 3 month period. Were included all patients admitted in our ICU during the study period's. We compared the populations with and without catecholamine, we analysed the catecholamine selected in various clinical settings and we studied the impact of the use of catecholamine on the patient outcomes.ResultsDuring the study's period, 226 patients were hospitalized in our service and were the subject of this study. The median age (± SD) was of 47± 24 years. During their hospitalization in the ICU, 132 patients (58.4%) presented a shock. The cardiogenic shock and the hypovolemic shock were the most observed (37.8% and 35.6% respectively). Hundred thirty patients (57.5%) received catecholamines during their stay in ICU. Eighty four patients (64.6% of the patients having received catecholamines) had received dopamine. Sixty two patients (47.7% of the patients having received catecholamines) had received dobutamine, 63 patients (48.5%) had received epinephrine and 22 patients (16.9%) had received norepinephrine. The mean's period of catecholamines use was 5 ± 4 days. Among drugs proposed in order to manage patients with cardiogenic shock, dobutamine was chosen as the first choice agent in 62% of the cases. Among drugs proposed in order to manage patients with septic shock, Dopamine was chosen as the first choice agent in 85.7 % of the cases. In our study the patients of the class C or D in the Knauss classification are significantly predisposed to receive catecholamines during their ICU stay (OR: 5.3 ; IC 95% : 1.7 - 5.7).Moreover, the needing of catecholamine use is strongly associated with high mortality (OR: 16,8; IC 95% : 16.4 - 49.2).ConclusionThe choice of catecholamines is a matter of debate for critically ill patients. The use of catecholamines is a clinical marker of severity and provider of mortality.

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