Diabetes insipidus after discontinuation of vasopressin infusion for septic shock.

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

Methods: 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.

Conclusions: 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.