Digital gangrene due to dopamine infusion - A case report

Dopamine is a vasopressor agent for the treatment of shock and hypotension in patients who do not respond to plasma volume expansion. Use of dopamine is associated with severe peripheral ischemia, particularly in patients in whom the peripheral circulation is already impaired. We describe a case of digital gangrene due to intravenous dopamine infusion in a 45-year-old man who did not have any predisposing factor. The patient developed digital gangrene within 24 hours of starting intravenous dopamine. Dopamine is one of the commonly used vasopressor agents in the treatment of shock and hypotension and measures should be taken to detect the possibility of the development of gangrene based on the predisposing factor and if gangrene occurs, immediate steps should be taken for management of the reaction.