• Shupeng Wang, Min Li, Jun Duan, Li Yi, Xu Huang, Desheng Chen, and Gang Li.
• Department of Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China. Corresponding author: Li Gang, Email: lg195905@163.com.
• Zhonghua Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue. 2017 May 1; 29 (5): 390-395.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of heart rate control with esmolol on hemodynamics, inflammatory cytokines and clinical outcomes in patients with septic shock.MethodsA prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. The patients with septic shock admitted to Department of Critical Care Medicine of China-Japan Friendship Hospital from August 2014 to October 2016 were enrolled. After 24 hours of resuscitation and other therapy, they were randomly divided into two groups by sealed envelope. The patients in experimental group was treated with continuous intravenous esmolol infusion for 24 hours, initial dose was 0.05 mg×kg-1×h-1, and was titrated to decrease the heart rate by 20% as compared with the value at the time of enrollment or below 95 bpm, while isotonic saline was given to control group through intravenous line at 3 mL/h for 24 hours. The differences in hemodynamic parameters at 0, 1, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours, as well as serum inflammatory cytokines and blood lactate (Lac) at 0, 12, and 24 hours, 28-day mortality were compared between the two groups.ResultsSeventy-six septic shock patients were admitted during the study, 12 were excluded for suspicious acute myocardial infraction (AMI) or acute left heart failure or for the history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 4 were quitted the study for being unable to tolerate the lowest dose of esmolol, giving up treatment, or death within 24 hours. Finally, 60 patients completed the study, 30 patients in experimental group, and 30 in control group. There were no differences in gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score and infection source between two groups, indicating the general data between the two groups were balanced and comparable. The decrease in heart rate was more markedly in experimental group than that of control group at 1, 4, 48 hours after esmolol administration (bpm: 97.4±16.5 vs. 110.9±19.6, 95.2±15.3 vs. 105.1±17.9, 86.4±12.1 vs. 97.2±22.6, all P < 0.05), cardiac index (CI) at 8, 24, 48 hours was significantly increased (mL×s-1×m-2: 57.2±13.5 vs. 46.5±11.0, 57.7±15.7 vs. 48.7±14.7, 61.2±16.5 vs. 51.5±14.7, all P < 0.05), and stroke volume index (SVI) at 4, 8, 24 hours was significantly increased (mL/m2: 34.1±6.9 vs. 29.0±8.7, 35.0±6.1 vs. 28.8±9.6, 38.3±10.1 vs. 31.9±13.2, all P < 0.05). Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) at 24 hours in experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group (ng/L: 0.15±0.06 vs. 0.13±0.05, P < 0.01). There were no differences in mean arterial pressure (MAP), Lac, white blood cell (WBC), IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) between the two groups, and no difference in 28-day mortality between experimental group and control group was found (30.0% vs. 36.7%,χ 2 = 0.300, P = 0.583).ConclusionsIt is efficient and safe to use esmolol for heart rate control in patients with septic shock after resuscitation. Esmolol can improve cardiac performance without affecting blood pressure and Lac, but has no effect on inflammatory cytokines and prognosis.

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