Lam SW, et al. - Whether escalating doses of norepinephrine or norepinephrine plus the adjunctive use of vasopressin or angiotensin II as a second-line vasopressor affords a cost-effective treatment strategy for patients with septic shock, was investigated. Researchers performed a comparison of costs and outcomes related to norepinephrine monotherapy or the two adjunctive second-line vasopressors, via a decision tree analysis. Both short- and long-term evaluations revealed vasopressin as the most cost-effective second-line vasopressor. For the lifetime horizon, adjunctive vasopressin yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $19,762 / quality-adjusted-life-years gained, while norepinephrine monotherapy was least expensive. A minor contribution of vasopressor price to the overall expense was also revealed.