title: Prognostic value of dobutamine stress test in patients with septic shock.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic effect of dobutamine stress test in patients with septic shock.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with septic shock received intravenous infusion of dobutamine at 10 microg . kg-1 . min-1 for 1 h. Hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism was observed. A patient who was able to increase oxygen consumption index (VO2) by >15 % was designated as a responder to the test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 47 patients with septic shock, twenty one responders and twenty six nonresponders were identified, and mortality was 33.3 % and 76.9 % respectively. After the dobutamine infusion, the responders showed increases in cardiac index (18.1 %), oxygen delivery index (12.7 %), VO2 (38.6 %), and oxygen extraction ratio (18.0 %), and reductions in systemic vascular resistance index (18.5 %). The nonresponders demonstrated increases in cardiac index (11.5 %), but no change in oxygen delivery, VO2, and oxygen extraction ratio.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dobutamine stress test might be a good predictor of outcome in patients with septic shock.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhong Da Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Haiboq@hotmail.com
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: R Q
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects*; D011379:Prognosis; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine