Effect of Oral Vasopressors Used for Liberation from Intravenous Vasopressors in Intensive Care Unit Patients Recovering from Spinal Shock: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

backgroundEarly vasopressor utilization has been associated with improved outcomes of patients with spinal shock; however, there are difficulties in weaning off vasopressors, in which patients after recovery from spinal shock develop a state of persistent vasodilation, which may take a few days to resolve and delays the discharge in the intensive care unit (ICU). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis using two oral vasopressors (midodrine and minirin) to facilitate weaning off intravenous vasopressors, reducing the ICU length of stay, and compare them for more efficacy.

methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted in the trauma ICU at the Assiut University Hospital in Egypt in patients with spinal shock who required intravenous vasopressor for ≥24 h. A convenience sample was classified into three groups, in which 30 patients were included for each group. The midodrine group received midodrine 10 mg per oral every 8 h with gradual weaning off intravenous (IV) vasopressor (noradrenaline) after receiving 4 doses, the minirin group received minirin 60

resultsOur results showed that the duration of IV vasopressor requirements in the midodrine (3.3 ± 1.32) and minirin groups (4.8 ± 1.83) was significantly lower than in the control group (6.93 ± 2.32). Additionally, the ICU length of stay (days) in the midodrine (5.13 ± 1.83) and minirin groups (5.5 ± 1.91) was significantly lower than in the control group (9.03 ± 3.74).

conclusionMidodrine and minirin accelerated liberation from intravenous noradrenaline and effective in reducing the ICU length of stay in patients with spinal shock.