The Efficacy of Adjunctive Use of Ondansetron in Patients With Sepsis and Septic Shock

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response that has deleterious effects and considered the leading cause of death in critically ill patients 1 . One of the hallmarks of severe sepsis is the progressive, injurious inflammatory response to infection, mediated by the excessive release of inflammatory mediators and consequently, associated with multiple organs damage 2 . Various studies have demonstrated that adverse outcomes in sepsis patients are closely related to the development of myocardial dysfunction 3 . The mortality of sepsis combined with cardiac functional insufficiency has increased significantly to 70%-90% 4 . Therefore, targeting cardiac insufficiency and heart injury may represent a novel treatment strategy. Several reports documented critical involvement of serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine in the pathogenesis of sepsis. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy of ondansetron adjuvant use in patients with sepsis and septic shock.