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Dopamine Versus Epinephrine for Pediatric Fluid-Refractory Hypotensive Septic Shock

NCT07775001 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 66

Last updated 2026-08-19

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare dopamine with epinephrine as the first vasoactive treatment in children aged 2 to 12 years with fluid-refractory hypotensive septic shock. Children who remained hypotensive with signs of poor tissue perfusion after receiving standardized intravenous fluid resuscitation were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either dopamine or epinephrine. The study was designed to determine whether epinephrine resulted in a higher rate of shock reversal within the first 60 minutes after starting vasoactive treatment compared with dopamine. Shock reversal was assessed using improvement in age-appropriate blood pressure, capillary refill, peripheral circulation, mental status, and urine output.

A total of 66 children were included, with 33 participants assigned to each treatment group. Epinephrine was administered at doses ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 microgram/kg/minute, while dopamine was administered at doses ranging from 10 to 20 microgram/kg/minute according to a predefined escalation schedule. In addition to shock reversal within one hour, the study compared sustained hemodynamic stability, the requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation within 24 hours, and in-hospital mortality between the two treatment groups.

Conditions

  • Septic Shock

Interventions

DRUG

Epinephrine

Epinephrine infusion was initiated at 0.1 microgram/kg/minute through peripheral, intraosseous, or central vascular access. If shock reversal criteria were not achieved, the dose was increased to 0.2 microgram/kg/minute at 15 minutes and to 0.3 microgram/kg/minute at 30 minutes. The maximum study dose during the first-hour assessment period was 0.3 microgram/kg/minute.

DRUG

dopamine

Dopamine infusion was initiated at 10 microgram/kg/minute through peripheral, intraosseous, or central vascular access. If shock reversal criteria were not achieved, the dose was increased to 15 microgram/kg/minute at 15 minutes and to 20 microgram/kg/minute at 30 minutes. The maximum study dose during the first-hour assessment period was 20 microgram/kg/minute.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Nishtar Medical University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Maryam Sana · Nishtar Hospital Multan

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
2 Years
Max Age
12 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-18
Primary Completion
2026-09-17
Completion
2026-09-17

Countries

  • Pakistan

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Drugs

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07775001 on ClinicalTrials.gov