Affiliation

Department of Biochemical Science and Public Health, Polytechnic University Marche

Corresponding Author

Abele Donati, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, AOR Ospedali Riuniti, Via Conca 71, Department of Biochemical Science and Public Health, Polytechnic University Marche, via Tronto 10, 60020 Torrette (Ancona), Italy. Tel: 0039 335 5850328/ 071 5964603; Fax: 071 5964601; E-mail: a.donati@univpm.it

Citation

Donati, A., et al. The 5 “W” of Microcirculatory Assessment in the Critically Ill Patients. (2016) Clin Trials Pathol Case Stud 1(1): 1- 5.

Copy rights

© 2016 Donati, A. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

  Microcirculatory monitoring revealed great impact in predicting the severity of organ dysfunction and the outcome of critically ill patients. Clinicians are trying to introduce this technology in the clinical practice, as a supplement to routine surveillance; unfortunately, despite decades of researches, there are still unsolved questions and practical limitations to this. The purpose of this article is to summarize the state of the art regarding microcirculation through 6 traditional questions (5 “W” and 1 “H”), but also to highlight the open issues and the current restrictions for the use of the device as routine.