Refractory septic shock and alternative wordings: A systematic review of literature

•The terms “catecholamine resistance”, “refractory septic shock” and “high dose norepinephrine” are often used in the literature.•Catecholamine resistance was generally defined as “a decreased vascular responsiveness to catecholamine independently of the administered norepinephrine dose”.•Refractory septic shock was “a clinical condition characterized by persistent hyperdynamic shock even though adequate fluid resuscitation (individualized doses) and high doses of norepinephrine (≥ 1 μg/kg/min)”.•Reported “high doses” of norepinephrine were often ≥1 μg/kg/min.•Wide variability was found throughout the literature on the use of these terms.