Use of vasopressors for septic shock in the neonatal intensive care unit.

We identified 1592 infants. Mortality was 50%. Dopamine was the most used vasopressor (92% of episodes) and hydrocortisone was co-administered with a vasopressor in 38% of episodes. Compared to infants treated with dopamine alone, adjusted odds of mortality were significantly higher for those treated with epinephrine alone (aOR 4.7 [95% CI: 2.3-9.2]). Adjuvant hydrocortisone was associated with significantly lower adjusted odds of mortality (aOR 0.60 [0.42-0.86]) CONCLUSIONS: The use of epinephrine as either a solo agent or in combination therapy was associated with significantly worse outcomes, while adjuvant hydrocortisone was associated with decreased mortality.