Han 2012.

Methods	Multi‐centre RCT in community hospitals; China
Participants	Patients with septic shock who were older than 16 years with dopamine requirements exceeding 5 µg/kg/min; 29% female, mean 72 years old, average APACHE I score 27.4, SOFA score 9.3 (N = 139)
Interventions	Pituitrin (vasopressin 0.017 to 0.042 U/min) vs standard vasopressors (dopamine or norepinephrine 2 to 20 µg/kg/min) norepinephrine added to both groups to keep haemodynamics stable
Outcomes	28‐Day survival, LOS hospital, duration mechanical ventilation; MAP, heart rate, serum creatinine, lactate, norepinephrine dose, heparin, glucocorticoids
Notes	Published in Chinese; funding not stated
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Computer‐generated random list
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No details reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not reported
Explicit in‐/exclusion criteria	Unclear risk	Only high‐level information given
ITT‐analysis	Low risk	Performed
Adequate patient description	Unclear risk	Only high‐level information on aetiology given
Identical care	High risk	Open‐label intervention; no treatment protocol presented
Outcome description	Low risk	Reported
Physicians blinded	High risk	Not reported, but from indirect information high risk was assumed
Outcome assessors blinded?	Unclear risk	Low risk for mortality outcomes, high risk for other outcomes