Oxygen supply dependency can characterize septic shock
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Standardized Hemorrhagic Shock Induction Guided by Cerebral Oximetry and Extended Hemodynamic Monitoring in Pigs
Published on: May 21, 2019
G Friedman1, D De Backer, M Shahla
1Department of Intensive Care, Erasme University Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
Objective:
To demonstrate that oxygen consumption (VO2) can be dependent on oxygen delivery (DO2) during hemodynamic instability and independent of DO2 following stabilization.
Design:
We retrospectively reviewed hemodynamic and blood gas data collected from ten patients in whom DO2 was acutely altered during an episode of septic shock (phase A) and after recovery from this episode (phase B).
Setting:
General intensive care unit of a university hospital.
Patients:
10 critically ill adult patients (aged 55 +/- 19 years).
Interventions:
DO2 was altered by fluid challenge, administration of vasoactive agents, or application of positive end-expiratory pressure.
Results:
In phase A, changes in VO2 (121 +/- 32 vs 165 +/- 36 ml/min.m2; p < 0.001) paralleled changes in DO2 (415 +/- 153 vs 607 +/- 217 ml/min.m2; p < 0.001), but oxygen extraction (O2ER) remained stable (31.9 +/- 11.2 vs. 30.2 +/- 8.9%; NS). In phase B, changes in DO2 (412 +/- 118 vs 526 +/- 152 ml/min.m2; p < 0.001) were associated with opposite changes in O2ER (36.1 +/- 4.2 vs 28.9 +/- 4.9%; p < 0.001), and VO2 was unchanged (147 +/- 35 vs 149 +/- 33 ml/min.m2; NS). The mean VO2/DO2 slope was greater in phase A than in phase B (0.26 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.08; p < 0.004). Blood lactate levels were higher in phase A than in phase B (3.3 +/- 1.8 vs 1.6 +/- 0.6 mEq/l; p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Oxygen supply independency and dependency can be found at different times in the same critically ill patient. Our findings are consistent with the concept that VO2/DO2 dependency is a marker of septic shock. Interventions to increase DO2 are probably justified when this phenomenon is present.
More Related Videos
07:48Noninvasive and Invasive Renal Hypoxia Monitoring in a Porcine Model of Hemorrhagic Shock
Published on: October 28, 2022
14:28Non-Invasive Monitoring of Microvascular Oxygenation and Reactive Hyperemia using Hybrid, Near-Infrared Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy for Critical Care
Published on: May 10, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Oxygen Transport in the Blood
Hypoxia
Types of Hypoxia
There are four primary types of hypoxia, each resulting from a different cause:
1. Anemic hypoxia: This type occurs due to insufficient oxygen delivery caused by a lack of red blood cells (RBCs) or RBCs with abnormal or...
Acute Respiratory Failure-I
Definition: It is defined by specific criteria based on blood gas measurements. Hypoxemia happens when the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) falls below 60 mmHg. At the same time,...
Acute Respiratory Failure-II
The underlying physiological abnormalities that contribute to hypoxemic respiratory failure include:
Pneumothorax-I
Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax.
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns