Sublingual and muscular microcirculatory alterations after cardiac arrest: a pilot study

Post-cardiac arrest resuscitated patients often develop a "sepsis-like" syndrome, which may be associated with organ dysfunction. Impaired microcirculatory blood flow is thought to play a key role in sepsis-induced organ failure; however, few data are available on the microcirculation after cardiac arrest. We investigated microvascular density and reactivity in the early phase following cardiac arrest. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated the sublingual microcirculation in 10 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after cardiac arrest using a Sidestream Dark Field device. Thenar oxygen saturation (StO(2)) was also measured using a tissue spectrometer and a vaso-occlusive test was performed by rapid inflation of a pneumatic cuff around the arm to evaluate the StO(2) reperfusion rate, reflecting microvascular reactivity. In all patients, measurements were performed within the first 12h after admission (T1) and 24-48 h thereafter (T2).