Abstract
If the oxygenation of blood is not critically diminished, the oxygen transport to the tissues and thus the total oxygen consumption of the organism is limited by the function of microcirculation. The organism’s total oxygen consumption therefore decreases if shock develops. The total oxygen consumption can be easily measured continuously as the total oxygen uptake of the patient. In this way the impairment of tissue perfusion all over the organism may be quantified indirectly by the reactions in the aerobic metabolism.
In shock patients an inadequate tissue perfusion is always followed by a decrease in total oxygen uptake even if hemodynamics may pretent good conditions for the microcirculation.
Comparable to shock states, the microcirculation may also be affected during extra corporeal circulation. Although a complete blood oxygenation can be performed easily and pump flow can be set to an optimal range, tissue perfusion may be insufficient. Even in this situation changes in total oxygen consumption reveal the status of microcirculation and the reactions in capillary gas exchange.
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