InSpectra St0

Hutchinson Technologies

Please see Bibliography of References for a list of abstracts, manuscripts and posters.

Sepsis

Vasopressin substitution causes microcirculatory changes in patients with septic shock

Klinzing S, Reinhard C, Simon T, Schurholz T, Sakr Y, Reinhart K, Marx G. Crit Care. 2007;11(Suppl 2):S13-S14. Abstract P34.

Introduction: We tested the effects of arginine vasopressin on tissue oxygenation, microvascular reactivity and oral mucosa microcirculation in patients with septic shock.

Methods: In 20 patients with septic shock, tissue microcirculation was determined before treatment with AVP (2 IU/hour), after 2 hours of treatment and 2 hours after treatment. The thenar muscle StO2 was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (InSpectra; Hutchinson Technology, Hutchinson, MN, USA). Oral mucosal tissue oxygen saturation, microcirculatory blood flow and blood flow velocity were measured in depths of 1 and 4 mm with a laser Doppler flowmetry and remission spectroscopy system (O2C).

Results: See Table 1. Vasopressin infusion led to a significant decrease of oral mucosal oxygen saturation and blood flow, and a significant decrease of flow velocity in a depth of 1 mm. Changes in thenar tissue perfusion were not detectable.

Conclusion: Vasopressin causes a deterioration of oral mucosal blood flow but not in thenar tissue perfusion.

Table 1:

Base level

2 hours AVP

2 hours after AVP

P value step 1

P value step 2

SO2 1 mm (%)

79; 40–99

72.5; 59–88

83; 45–93

<0.05

<0.05

SO2 4 mm (%)

79; 48–97

68; 50–93

81; 24–99

<0.05

<0.01

Flow 1 mm

56; 11–390

33; 10–212

39; 10–249

<0.01

<0.01

Flow 4 mm

332.5; 149–517

280; 119–511

331; 150–581

<0.05

<0.05

Velocity 1 mm

22.5; 12–45

17.5; 11–33

20; 11–33

<0.01

<0.05