Tissue oxygen extraction in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure.

Multiple organ failure (MOF) associated with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to sepsis, trauma, etc., continues to be a syndrome with poor prognosis. It is generally accepted that tissue hypoxia is associated with the subsequent development of MOF. The purpose of this study was to find the relationship between the reduced tissue oxygen extraction and the severity of the syndrome. By correlating either the tissue oxygen extraction per unit volume of blood, CaO2-CvO2, or the oxygen extraction ratio, (CaO2-CvO2)/CaO2, with the intrapulmonary shunt, Qs/Qt, we found that there were significant inverse correlations between these two parameters of tissue oxygen extraction and the severity of the illness in patients with ARDS and MOF. The observed reduction in tissue extraction of oxygen may be related to the development of deranged metabolism in ARDS and MOF.