How monitoring of the microcirculation may help us at the bedside

Purpose of review Recent technologic developments have allowed the direct visualization of the microcirculation at the bedside. The present review explores how the monitoring of microcirculation can help in clinical practice. Recent findings Using orthogonal polarization spectral (OPS) imaging techniques, various investigators have reported microcirculatory alterations in critically ill patients and especially in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. These alterations include a decrease in vessel density and an increased proportion of nonperfused or intermittently perfused capillaries. The persistence of these alterations is associated with the development of organ failure and death. Several therapeutic interventions, including vasoactive agents, fluid resuscitation, and activated protein C, can affect the microcirculation. Vasoactive agents have variable effects but vasodilatory agents seem very promising. Unfortunately, although many animal studies have investigated the effects of many of these interventions, human data are limited. Summary Microcirculation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of shock and organ dysfunction, especially in sepsis. Monitoring microcirculation at the bedside may be used to assess severity of the disease and to predict outcome, but in the absence of sufficient data regarding the effects of therapeutic interventions it cannot yet be used to guide therapy, even though this approach is promising.