Central venous oxygen saturation in septic shock - a marker of cardiac output, microvascular shunting and/or dysoxia?

Abstract

Shock therapy aims at increasing central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO 2), which is a marker of inadequate oxygen delivery. In this issue of Critical Care, Textoris and colleagues challenge this notion by reporting that high levels of ScvO 2are associated with mortality in patients with septic shock. This is of obvious interest, but as their retrospective design has inherent limitations, the association should be confirmed in a prospective, multicenter study with protocolized ScvO 2measurements and detailed registration of potentially confounding factors. © 2011 BioMed Central Ltd.