Angiotensin II for Vasodilatory Hypotension in Patients Requiring Mechanical Circulatory Support

Background: Patients supported on mechanical circulatory support devices experience vasodilatory hypotension due to high surface area exposure to nonbiological and non-endothelialized surfaces. Angiotensin II has been studied in general settings of vasodilatory shock, however concerns exist regarding the use of this vasopressor in patients with pre-existing cardiac failure. The objective of this study was to assess the systemic and central hemodynamic effects of angiotensin II in patients with primary cardiac or respiratory failure requiring treatment with mechanical circulatory support devices. Methods: Multicenter retrospective observational study of adults supported on a mechanical circulatory support device who received angiotensin II for vasodilatory shock. The primary outcome was the intraindividual change from baseline in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and vasopressor dosage after angiotensin II. Results: Fifty patients were included with mechanical circulatory devices that were primarily used for cardiac failure (n = 41) or respiratory failure (n = 9). At angiotensin II initiation, the norepinephrine equivalent vasopressor dosage was 0.44 (0.34, 0.64) and 0.47 (0.33, 0.73) mcg/kg/min in the cardiac and respiratory groups, respectively. In the cardiac group, MAP increased from 60 to 70 mmHg (intraindividual P < .001) in the 1 h after angiotensin II initiation and the vasopressor dosage declined by 0.04 mcg/kg/min (intraindividual P < .001). By 12 h, the vasopressor dosage declined by 0.16 mcg/kg/min ( P = .001). There were no significant changes in cardiac index or mean pulmonary artery pressure throughout the 12 h following angiotensin II. In the respiratory group, similar but nonsignificant effects at 1 h on MAP (61-81 mmHg, P = .26) and vasopressor dosage (decline by 0.13 mcg/kg/min, P = .06) were observed. Conclusions: In patients requiring mechanical circulatory support for cardiac failure, angiotensin II produced beneficial systemic hemodynamic effects without negatively impacting cardiac function or pulmonary pressures. The systemic hemodynamic effects in those with respiratory failure were nonsignificant due to limited sample size.