A Review of Push-Dose Vasopressors in the Peri-operative and Critical Care Setting

During hospitalization, the risk of hypotension and associated sequelae remain important considerations for patient outcomes. The use of push-dose vasopressors (PDP) outside of the operating room has increased in recent years to combat the negative effects of hypotension. This narrative review evaluates the utility of PDP in its traditional perioperative setting as well as in areas of increasing use such as the emergency department and intensive care unit. Articles evaluating PDP highlight successful increases in blood pressure with all agents but differ in rates of adverse events and most lack direct comparison of PDP agents in regard to safety and efficacy. Agents utilized as PDP, including epinephrine, phenylephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, and ephedrine vary in mechanism of action, onset of action, and duration of action. These variations in pharmacology along with published literature may lead to differences in the preferred PDP for various clinical scenarios. Many adverse events associated with PDP have been due to dosing errors highlighting the importance of education surrounding the use of these agents. Additional research is necessary to further elucidate the risks and benefits of PDP in clinical practice, and to determine which PDP is truly preferred. Careful consideration should be given when determining the appropriateness of this administration method of vasopressors in various clinical scenarios.