Prognostic value of the dobutamine test in patients with sepsis syndrome and normal lactate values

Abstract

Most of these septic patients without shock or hyperlactatemia responded to dobutamine infusion in one of two ways: with little increase in DO2 and no increase in VO2, or with significant increases in both DO2 and VO2. The latter response is typical of healthy volunteers given dobutamine. Because of the calorigenic effect of dobutamine, our results imply nothing about the presence or absence of oxygen supply limitation. Still, patients who had increases in DO2 and VO2 had a much higher survival rate than patients who did not. We speculate that the inability of some patients to respond to dobutamine and the associated higher mortality rate may be related to beta-adrenoreceptor dysfunction.