American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Critically ill patients with circulatory shock sometimes need rescue treatment with high doses of norepinephrine, a treatment that may be associated with a poor outcome because of excessive vasoconstriction. ⋯ Although the cause of shock and treatment with norepinephrine were not predictive of death when high doses of the drug were deemed necessary, rescue treatment with high-dose norepinephrine is futile in patients with severe disease and metabolic acidemia.