Modification of oxygen extraction ratio by change in oxygen transport in septic shock

To help clarify the oxygen uptake/transport (VO2/TO2) relationship and because the oxygen extraction ratio (OER) and TO2 share no common variable such as cardiac index, we examined the changes in OER when TO2 was decreased in 12 patients with sepsis in whom a PEEP trial was performed. From zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP) to PEEP (12 +/- 3 cm H2O), a significant increase in OER from 30 +/- 10 percent to 38 +/- 12 percent (p less than 0.005) was observed, and individual percentage changes in OER were well correlated with individual percentage changes in TO2. The VO2 measured (VO2m) by respiratory gas analysis was unchanged, while VO2 calculated by the Fick equation (VO2f) decreased, suggesting a mathematical coupling between VO2f and TO2. Patients with hyperlactacidemia (n = 5) exhibited the same relationships between OER, VO2m, and TO2 as those without hyperlactacidemia. Our results suggest an adaptive response in the OER when TO2 is decreased in patients with established septic shock.