[Evaluation of sublingual microcirculation in septic shock. Report of one patient treated with high volume hemofiltration].

Microcirculation is severely compromised in sepsis, with a reduction of capillary density and flow impairment. These alterations have important prognostic implications, being more severe in non-survivors to septic shock. Today microcirculation may be assessed bedside, non-invasively using polarized light videomicroscopy a technique known as SDF (side dark field). We report a 54 year-old man with an extramembranous nephropathy that developed a necrotizing fasciitis associated to septic shock, in whom microcirculation was periodically assessed during his management. The patient was treated with fluids, vasoactive drugs, antibiotics and was operated for exploration and debridement. As the patient persisted in refractory shock despite treatment, high-volume hemofiltration was started. Before hemofiltration the patient had severe microcirculatory alterations that improved during and after the procedure. Physiologic endpoints of high-volume hemofiltration in septic shock remain unknown, but it has the capacity to clear inflammatory mediators. Since microcirculatory alterations are in part secondary to these mediators, their removal is beneficial. Like other authors, we found no relation between microcirculation and other haemodynamic and perfusion variables.