Exploration of Microcirculatory Blood Flow During Septic Shock

Abstract

Animal and human studies have documented alterations of microcirculatory blood flow during serious infections, potentially leading to lethal organ damages. Both severity and persistence of microcirculatory disorders are predictive factors for mortality, independently of cardiac output or arterial pressure. Several tools derived from skin analysis have been developed, allowing clinicians to quickly evaluate the peripheral perfusion including the temperature gradient, the capillary refill time, the extent of mottling and the peripheral perfusion index. In this review, we have reported that these bedside non-invasive parameters represent interesting tools for risk stratification in septic patients, being related to organ failure severity and predictive of mortality.