RT Book, Section A1 Rollstin, Amber A1 Chiu, William C. A1 Marshall, John P. A2 Farcy, David A. A2 Chiu, William C. A2 Marshall, John P. A2 Osborn, Tiffany M. SR Print(0) ID 1135700870 T1 Vasopressors and Inotropes T2 Critical Care Emergency Medicine, 2e YR 2016 FD 2016 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071838764 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1135700870 RD 2024/03/28 AB A shock state is characterized by hypoperfusion to organs, cellular hypoxia, and metabolic disorder resulting in cellular injury. Injury to the organs is mainly due to the duration of the hypoperfusion and the speed with which the etiology can be treated and the shock state can be reversed. When patients are hemodynamically unstable, an important and potentially life-saving intervention is the use of vasoactive therapies to restore appropriate tissue perfusion by increasing blood flow and thereby increasing oxygen delivery. Prior to or concurrent with initiating vasoactive or inotropic medications, it is essential to attempt to identify the potential cause of the shock state and guide therapy based on this presumptive diagnosis. Refer to Chapter 61, Classification of Shock, for further information.