Diabetes insipidus after discontinuation of vasopressin infusion for septic shock.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND

OBJECTIVE

Despite widespread use of vasopressin for the treatment of septic shock, few cases of diabetes insipidus (DI) following its discontinuation have been reported.

CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old man presented with pneumonia progressing to septic shock, requiring norepinephrine and vasopressin for refractory hypotension. After clinical improvement, the patient on 3 separate occasions developed polyuria and severe hypernatremia upon discontinuation of vasopressin, with prompt recovery upon its resumption.

WHAT IS NEW AND

CONCLUSION

Occurrence of DI upon discontinuation of vasopressin infusion appears to be rare, but incidence may be underestimated due to a paucity of published reports. Actual incidence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon remain to be elucidated.