[Recognition of tissue oxygen debt in clinical settings]

Despite intensive treatment, a great proportion of ICU patients is resuscitated incompletely. Presence of tissue oxygen debt is the crucial pathophysiologic element of multiple organ failure development and death in these patients. Parameters of oxygen metabolism, monitored in time, except prognostic value give us the possibility of therapeutic intervention, oriented to the prevention of multiple organ failure. In addition to parameters of global oxygen transport and utilization, gastric tonometry has been used in recent years, as a method for organ specific identification of tissue oxygen debt. In the article are considered acceptable and available options of solving this problem in everyday clinical work.