An overview of vasopressor management, current evidence and when to initiate vasopressor therapy for best possible patient outcome.

Vasopressor management is a cornerstone in the haemodynamic management of septic shock for reversing hypotension by increasing systemic vascular resistance and improving organ perfusion.

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines 2021 recommend an initial target mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 65 mmHg with norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) as first-line vasopressor agent, vasopressin (also known as argipressin, arginine vasopressin, and anti-diuretic hormone) as recommended second-line vasopressor (Evans et al. 2021).

This article will try to address when to initiate vasopressor management for best possible patient outcome, based on the currently existing evidence.

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