Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41223876›Full record

Observational studyThe Korean journal of internal medicine2025

Effects of adjunctive dobutamine on outcomes among patients with septic shock: a propensity score matching analysis.

Sung Yoon Lim, Kyu Jin Lee, Yeonhoon Jang, Yeon Joo Lee, Ryoung-Eun Ko, Gee Young Suh, Dong Kyu Oh, Su Yeon Lee, Mi Hyeon Park, Chae-Man Lim and 2 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in The Korean journal of internal medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sung Yoon LimDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Kyu Jin LeeDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Yeonhoon JangDepartment of Digital Healthcare, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Yeon Joo LeeDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Ryoung-Eun KoDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Gee Young SuhDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Dong Kyu OhDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Su Yeon LeeDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Mi Hyeon ParkDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Chae-Man LimDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sunghoon ParkDepartment of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Korea.
Korean Sepsis Alliance (KSA) investigatorsDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Funding

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency 2019E280500Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency 2020E280700Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency 2021-10-026Korean Sepsis Alliance
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

aimsDespite some evidence supporting its utility, the role of adjunctive dobutamine in the management of septic shock remains unclear.

methodsThe nationwide prospective sepsis cohort of the Korean Sepsis Alliance was analyzed. Adult patients with septic shock receiving norepinephrine were enrolled over a 29-month period. Patients given a dobutamine infusion within 3 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission were compared with patients who received no infusion. To balance baseline characteristics, propensity score matching (PSM) was used.

resultsOf 11,981 patients with sepsis, 1,827 patients with septic shock receiving norepinephrine were included (108 dobutamine vs. 1,719 no dobutamine; mean age 71.4 ± 13.2 years, 59.4% male). After PSM (ratio of 1:2; 105 dobutamine patients and 209 no-dobutamine patients), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores and lactate levels on ICU day 3 did not significantly differ between groups. Additionally, in-hospital and ICU mortality rates did not differ between groups (54.3% vs. 48.3%, p = 0.319; 46.7% vs. 39.2%, p = 0.208, respectively). A Cox proportional model revealed that dobutamine use was not associated with in-hospital mortality (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.81-1.58). However, subgroup analysis indicated that dobutamine use was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality among patients in the lowest quintile of early fluid balance (p = 0.0286 for interaction).

conclusionAdjunctive dobutamine administration did not improve short-term organ function or hospital outcomes in septic shock patients. However, early fluid balance may influence the impact of dobutamine, highlighting the importance of a more tailored approach.

Indexed as

DobutamineNorepinephrineShock, SepticVasoconstrictor AgentsAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHospital MortalityHumansIntensive Care UnitsMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreProportional Hazards ModelsProspective StudiesRepublic of KoreaDobutamineNorepinephrineVasoconstrictor AgentsDobutamineFluid therapyShock, septic

Identifiers

PMID41223876
PMCPMC12611483

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.