Assessing Catecholamine Treatment Initiation Options: Norepinephrine vs Dopamine for Cardiogenic Shock

Summary

The goal of this multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial is to learn whether norepinephrine or dopamine is more effective and safer as the first-line vasoactive drug for treating cardiogenic shock in adults. Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to supply the body. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Does norepinephrine reduce the risk of death or worsening cardiogenic shock compared with dopamine?

Does norepinephrine lead to fewer complications such as arrhythmias, the need for mechanical circulatory support, or cardiac arrest?

Researchers will compare norepinephrine and dopamine to see which drug better stabilizes blood pressure, improves tissue perfusion, and prevents progression of shock during the early phase of treatment.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to receive either norepinephrine or dopamine as the first vasoactive drug

Receive treatment and monitoring based on current clinical guidelines for cardiogenic shock

Undergo regular assessments of blood pressure, laboratory values, heart rhythm, and organ function during hospitalization

Be followed for outcomes at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after enrollment

This study aims to provide evidence that will help determine which initial vasoactive drug offers better outcomes for patients with cardiogenic shock and guide future treatment recommendations.

Conditions

• Cardiogenic Shock

Interventions

DRUG

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine will be administered as an intravenous continuous infusion and used as the first-line vasoactive drug for the treatment of cardiogenic shock. The medication will be prepared in standard intensive care unit infusion bags and delivered through a controlled infusion pump. The infusion will be initiated and titrated according to a protocol-defined dosing algorithm, with adjustments based on blood pressure, hemodynamic response, laboratory values, and overall clinical assessment. If a participant was receiving vasoactive agents before randomization, norepinephrine will be started at an equivalent protocol-defined dose, and non-assigned agents will be tapered as clinically appropriate. The duration of infusion will depend on the participant's clinical stabilization. All administration and monitoring will follow current clinical guidelines for cardiogenic shock.

DRUG

Dopamine Agent

Dopamine will be administered as an intravenous continuous infusion and used as the first-line vasoactive drug for the treatment of cardiogenic shock. The medication will be prepared in standard intensive care unit infusion bags and delivered through a controlled infusion pump. The infusion will be initiated and titrated according to a protocol-defined dosing algorithm, with adjustments based on blood pressure, hemodynamic response, laboratory values, and overall clinical assessment. If a participant was receiving vasoactive agents before randomization, dopamine will be started at an equivalent protocol-defined dose, and non-assigned agents will be tapered as clinically appropriate. The duration of infusion will depend on the participant's clinical stabilization. All administration and monitoring will follow current clinical guidelines for cardiogenic shock.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chonnam National University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Min Chul Kim, Professor, MD, PhD · Chonnam National University Hospital

• Min Chul Kin, Professor, MD, PhD · Chonnam National University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-31

Primary Completion

2031-05-31

Completion

2032-05-31

Countries

• South Korea

Study Locations