How high do you crank your pressors?

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Are you one of those nurses that get a patient on pressors and the map is still trash? So, all you do is keep cranking it up higher and higher and you think "Why is this not working?" Not all hypotensive patients need vasopressors.

[00:00:12]If your patient is dry, squeezing those vessels is not going to circulate anything because they have nothing to circulate. That's why the pressor is not working. If your pressors are not working, you need to do a quick check of your patient. Is the CVP low? Does the patient have a low urine output? And how's the skin and how's the veins? Like a whole full assessment because your patient may need more volume versus more pressors. Now, let's flip it because if your patient looks overloaded and the pressors are still not working, that's when you start thinking, "Okay, is the vessels too relaxed?" Or sometimes the heart just might not be pumping strong enough. That part is not a fluid problem. So, remember, I see you thinking it's not just what's the number, it's why is it that number. So, fix the cause and not just the map. My name is D and I help new nurses build confidence in ICU. I have some ICU resources linked on my page, so make sure you check them out before your next shift starts. Bye.