International guidelines for the management of sepsis or cardiac anesthesia do not recommend specific goals targeting the microcirculation directly, but global hemodynamics. The reason for this may be attributed to the lack of methods that fulfill the requirements necessary to be clinically acceptable. Once the validity, i.e. any improvement in patient's outcomes attributable to microcirculation measurements, can be established, clinical measurement of microcirculation could become part of routine treatment of patients with sepsis, inflammation and shock. Until then, more clinical studies targeting microcirculation are urgently needed.
Our assessment could provide a base for further advancement and may help design future studies to elucidate the impact of perfusion in this challenging field.
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