The Elephant Man Meets Pulmonary Hypertension. A Cautionary Tale

Abstract

Stolk and colleagues provide the first in vivo human evidence that norepinephrine exerts antiinflammatory effects (11). Given that septic shock is associated with profound suppression of a variety of innate and adaptive immune responses, norepinephrine administration may further tip the balance toward impaired immunity in an already vulnerable host. Though norepinephrine remains the best option for the management of vascular dysfunction in septic shock, efforts should be pursued to get the best from its wanted hemodynamic properties while limiting its unwanted immunological side effects. n Author disclosures are available with the text of this article at www.atsjournals.org.