Table 1. Trials characteristics.
| Study ID | Country, SC / MC 1 | Intervention | Primary outcome | N patients | Mean age | Mean MAP at baseline (mmHg) | Mean lactate at baseline (mmol/l) | Mean cardiac index (l/min/m2) | APACHE II / SAPS-2 / SOFA score at baseline 2 | 28 days, All-cause mortality | Mortality in longest follow up, follow-up duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agrawal 2011 [11] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| India, SC | Norepinephrine | 25 | 52 | NS | NS | 5.45 | 25 (A) | NS | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 25 | 54 | NS | NS | 5.28 | 24 (A) | NS | NS | |||
| Albanese 2005 [12] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| France, SC | Norepinephrine | 10 | 65 | 54 | NS | 5.1 | 29 (A) | 40% | NS | ||
| Terlipressin | 10 | 66 | 54 | NS | 5.0 | 28 (A) | 50% | NS | |||
| Annane 2007 [13] | survival | 90 days | |||||||||
| France, MC | Norepinephrine + Dobutamine | 169 | 60 | 68 | 3.3 | NS | 52 (S) | 34% | 50% | ||
| Epinephrine | 161 | 65 | 70 | 2.9 | NS | 54 (S) | 39% | 52% | |||
| Chen 2012 [14] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine | 40 | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | 22% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 40 | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | 27% | NS | |||
| De Backer 2003 [16] | hemodynamic | 80% | NS | ||||||||
| Belgium, SC | Norepinephrine crossover | 5 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 19 (A) | ||||
| Epinephrine crossover | 5 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 19 (A) | |||||
| De Backer 2010 [15] | survival | 12 months | |||||||||
| Belgium, Austria, Spain, MC | Norepinephrine | 502 | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | 49% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 542 | NS | NS | NS | NS | NS | 53% | NS | |||
| Duranteau 1999 [17] | hemodynamic | 58% | NS, NS | ||||||||
| France, SC | Norepinephrine crossover | 4 | 54 | NS | NS | NS | NS | ||||
| Norepinephrine + Dobutamine crossover | 4 | 54 | NS | NS | NS | NS | |||||
| Epinephrine crossover | 4 | 54 | NS | NS | NS | NS | |||||
| Guérin 2005 [18] | hemodynamic | 16% | NS, NS | ||||||||
| France, SC | Norepinephrine crossover | 6 | 40 | 56.8 | 2.3 | 4.07 | 14 (A) | ||||
| Dopamine crossover | 6 | 40 | 56.8 | 2.3 | 4.07 | 14 (A) | |||||
| High 2008[19] | hemodynamic | 56 | NS | ||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine | 23 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 39% | NS | |||
| Dopamine | 21 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 38% | NS | ||||
| Jain 2010 [20] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| India, SC | Norepinephrine | 27 | 42 | 68 | NS | 5.0 | 17.6 (A) | 55% | NS | ||
| Phenylephrine | 27 | 45 | 69 | NS | 4.8 | 19.1 (A) | 59% | NS | |||
| Lauzier 2006 [21] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| France, Canada, MC | Norepinephrine | 10 | 58.1 | 68 | 3.33 | 4.4 | 23.5 (A) | 33% | NS | ||
| Vasopressin | 13 | 51.2 | 72 | 2.87 | 4.6 | 22.8 (A) | 23% | NS | |||
| Levy 1997[22] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| France, SC | Norepinephrine + Dobutamine | 15 | 56 | 60 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 25.6 (A) | 53% | NS | ||
| Epinephrine | 15 | 54 | 60 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 24.5 (A) | 60% | NS | |||
| Liu 2010 [23] | hemodynamic | 43 | NS | ||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine | 25 | NS | 4.9 | NS | 16 (A) | 32% | NS | |||
| Dopamine | 25 | NS | 4.6 | NS | 17 (A) | 48% | NS | ||||
| Malay 1999 [24] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| US, SC | Placebo | 5 | 56 | 64 | NS | 5.6 | 26 (A) | 40% | NS | ||
| Vasopressin | 5 | 53 | 66 | NS | 4.3 | 27 (A) | 0 | NS | |||
| Marik 1994 [25] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| US, SC | Norepinephrine | 10 | 46 | 65 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 18 (A) | 50% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 10 | 46 | 63 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 17 (A) | 60% | NS | |||
| Marthur 2007 [26] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| India, SC | Norepinephrine | 25 | 52 | NS | NS | 5.4 | 25.6 (A) | 56% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 25 | 54 | NS | NS | 5.2 | 24.5 (A) | 76% | NS | |||
| Martin 1993 [27] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| France, SC | Norepinephrine | 16 | 52 | 54 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 31 (A) | 43% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 16 | 53 | 53 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 30 (A) | 62% | NS | |||
| Morelli 2008 [30] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| Italy, SC | Norepinephrine | 16 | 70 | 55 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 55 (S) | 56% | NS | ||
| Phenylephrine | 16 | 70 | 54 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 57 (S) | 62% | NS | |||
| Morelli 2009 [29] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| Italy, SC | Norepinephrine | 15 | 64 | 54 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 58 (S) | 66% | NS | ||
| Vasopressin | 15 | 66 | 53 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 60 (S) | 53% | NS | |||
| Terlipressin | 15 | 67 | 53 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 62 (S) | 46% | ||||
| Morelli 2011[28] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| Italy, SC | Norepinephrine | 20 | 66 | 71 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 54 (S) | NS | NS | ||
| Vasopressin | 20 | 61 | 72 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 53 (S) | NS | NS | |||
| Terlipressin | 20 | 65 | 71 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 50 (S) | NS | NS | |||
| Myburgh 2008 [31] | hemodynamic | 90 days | |||||||||
| Australia, MC | Norepinephrine | 82 | 60 | 66 | 2.4 | NS | 22.7 (A) | 29% | 36.5% | ||
| Epinephrine | 76 | 58 | 65 | 2.7 | NS | 23.4 (A) | 22% | 31% | |||
| Patel 2002 [32] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| Canada, SC | Norepinephrine | 11 | 68 | 68 | NS | 5.0 | 24 (A) | NS | NS | ||
| Vasopressin | 13 | 68 | 69 | NS | 4.8 | 22 (A) | NS | NS | |||
| Patel 2010 [33] | survival | 28 days | |||||||||
| US, MC | Norepinephrine | 118 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 27 (A) | 43% | 43% | ||
| Dopamine | 134 | NS | NS | NS | NS | 28 (A) | 50% | 50% | |||
| Plotkin 2007 [34] | survival | NS | |||||||||
| Russia, SC | Dopamine | 33 | 40 | NS | 3.2 | 2.8 | 24 (A) | 90% | NS | ||
| Terlipressin | 41 | 40 | NS | 3.6 | 2.8 | 24 (A) | 73% | NS | |||
| Ruokonen 1993 [35] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| Finland, SC | Norepinephrine | 5 | 44 | 55 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 13.3 (A) | 80% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 5 | 46 | 59 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 13.3 (A) | 60% | NS | |||
| Russell 2008 [36] | survival | 90 days | |||||||||
| US, Australia, Canada, MC | Norepinephrine | 395 | 61 | 73 | 3.5 | NS | 27.1 (A) | 39% | 49% | ||
| Vasopressin | 404 | 59 | 72 | 3.5 | NS | 27 (A) | 35% | 44% | |||
| Schreuder 1989 [37] | hemodynamic | 80% | NS, NS | ||||||||
| The Netherlands, SC | Norepinephrine crossover | 5 | 57 | 56 | 2.3 | 4.07 | NS | ||||
| Dopamine crossover | 5 | 57 | 56 | 2.3 | 4.07 | NS | |||||
| Seguin 2002 [38] | hemodynamic | NS | |||||||||
| France, MC | Norepinephrine + Dobutamine | 11 | 70 | 51 | 5.3 | 3.0 | 62 (S) | 45% | NS | ||
| Epinephrine | 11 | 65 | 54 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 57 (S) | 36% | NS | |||
| Svoboda 2012 [39] | hemodynamic | 90 days | |||||||||
| Czech Republic, SC | Norepinephrine | 13 | 75 | 71 | NS | NS | 18 (SO) | 76% | 92% | ||
| Terlipressin | 17 | 70 | 74 | NS | NS | 18 (SO) | 94% | 94% | |||
| Wu 2010 [40] | hemodynamic | 55 | NS | ||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine | 23 | 52 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 22 (A) | 30% | NS | |||
| Dopamine | 23 | 50 | 6.1 | 4.3 | 21 (A) | 39% | NS | ||||
| Zhou 2002 [41] | hemodynamic | 58% | NS | ||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine crossover | 4 | NS | 60 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 22 (A) | NS | |||
| Norepinephrine + Dobutamine crossover | 4 | NS | 60 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 22 (A) | NS | ||||
| Epinephrine crossover | 4 | NS | 60 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 22 (A) | NS | ||||
| Zhuangyu 2011 [42] | survival | NS | |||||||||
| China, SC | Norepinephrine | 45 | 54 | 71 | NS | NS | 24 (A) | 28% | NS | ||
| Dopamine | 45 | 55 | 74 | NS | NS | 25 (A) | 31% | NS |
All results present in mean (or median if not reported).
1 MC–multicenter, SC–single-center.
2 (A)—APACHE II, (S)–SAPS-2, (SO)–SOFA score.