Echocardiographic and Arterial Pressure Waveform Changes After Reducing Heart Rate With Esmolol in Septic Shock Patients

Clinical study suggests that beta-blockers by decreasing heart rate together with an increase in stroke volume do not negatively affect cardiac output allowing an economization of cardiac work and oxygen consumption in patients with septic shock. Whether this hemodynamic profile leads to an amelioration of myocardial performance is still unclear. The objective of the present study is therefore to elucidate whether a reduction in heart rate with esmolol is associated to an improvement of cardiac efficiency in patients with septic shock who remained tachycardic after hemodynamic optimization.