OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of low-dose dopamine on splanchnic blood flow and splanchnic oxygen uptake in patients with septic shock. METHODS Prospective, controlled trial. METHODS University hospital intensive care unit. METHODS 11 patients with septic shock, diagnosed according the criteria of the 1992 American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine consensus conference, who required treatment with norepinephrine. RESULTS Systemic and splanchnic hemodynamics and oxygen transport were measured before and during addition of low-dose dopamine (3 micrograms/kg per min). Low-dose dopamine and a marked effect on total body hemodynamics and oxygen transport. The fractional splanchnic flow at baseline ranged from 0.15 to 0.57. In 7 patients with a fractional splanchnic flow less than 0.30, low-dose dopamine increased splanchnic flow and splanchnic oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption. In 4 patients with a fractional splanchnic flow above 0.30, low-dose dopamine did not appear to change splanchnic blood flow. CONCLUSIONS Low-dose dopamine has a potential beneficial effect on splanchnic blood flow and oxygen consumption in patients with septic shock, provided the fractional splanchnic flow is not already high before treatment.