Octreotide: A Drug Often Used in the Critical Care Setting but Not Well Understood

While the canonical function of somatostatin (SST) is to inhibit the secretion of growth hormone, it has a number of other physiologic effects that are less widely appreciated. Octreotide, an analog of SST, is not uncommonly used in the critical care setting, particularly for the treatment of variceal hemorrhage. Herein, we discuss the biology and pharmacology of SST, octreotide, and other SST analogs. We also review the evidence behind their use in esophageal variceal bleeds, hepatorenal syndrome, hypoglycemia due to sulfonylurea poisoning, and chylous pleural effusions.