Non-invasive tools for guiding hemodynamic resuscitation in septic shock: the perfusion vs metabolic issue

Transcutaneous oxygen pressure reflects the balance between cardiac output, arterial oxygenation, and the metabolic rate of the tissue. In septic shock, it allows a real time assessment of the adequacy of tissue perfusion, and therefore it has been proposed as a non-invasive tool to guide the hemodynamic resuscitation process. However, its value is limited in those situations where cardiac output has been optimized, but tissue dysoxia persists as results of an impairment in oxygen utilization.