Hemodynamics Effects of Fludrocortisone on the Pressor Response to Noradrenaline Septic Shock Patients

The benefit of low-dose steroids in septic shock is still debated today, especially with mineralocorticoids. Fludrocortisone is a synthetic mineralocorticoid, an analogue of aldosterone, which has shown, in combination with hydrocortisone, a favorable effect on the mortality of septic shock patients with relative adrenal insufficiency. In a previous study in healthy volunteers, we showed for the first time that fludrocortisone at a dose of 400 μg per day significantly improved the pressor response to phenylephrine. These results confirm the observations reported in rats with endotoxin shock, where fludrocortisone was shown to significantly increase blood pressure and contractile response to phenylephrine. These encouraging results argue for a potential vascular beneficial effect of fludrocortisone and need to be confirmed in a population of septic shock patients. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the effect of oral administration of 100 μg every 6 hours of fludrocortisone on vascular responsiveness to noradrenaline in septic shock patients.