Fewer Episodes of Atrial Fibrillation When Vasopressin Is Combined with Norepinephrine

Association of Vasopressin Plus Catecholamine Vasopressors vs Catecholamines Alone With Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Distributive ShockA Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Alexandra P. Lengyel¹; Ludhmila Hajjar, MD²; Anthony C. Gordon, MD^3,4; François Lamontagne, MD, MSc⁵; Jeff S. Healey, MD, MSc¹; Richard P. Whitlock, MD, PhD¹; Emilie P. Belley-Côté, MD, MSc¹

JAMA. 2018;319(18):1889-1900. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.4528

Results  Twenty-three randomized clinical trials were identified (3088 patients; mean age, 61.1 years [14.2]; women, 45.3%). High-quality evidence supported a lower risk of atrial fibrillation associated with vasopressin treatment (RR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.88]; risk difference [RD], −0.06 [95% CI, −0.13 to 0.01]). For mortality, the overall RR estimate was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.97; RD, −0.04 [95% CI, −0.07 to 0.00]); however, when limited to trials at low risk of bias, the RR estimate was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.11). The overall RR estimate for RRT was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.51 to 1.08; RD, −0.07 [95% CI, −0.12 to −0.01]). However, in an analysis limited to trials at low risk of bias, RR was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.92, P for interaction = .77). There were no significant differences in the pooled risks for other outcomes.

Conclusions and Relevance  In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the addition of vasopressin to catecholamine vasopressors compared with catecholamines alone was associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. Findings for secondary outcomes varied.