OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between different Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes and variations in microcirculation in septic shock patients.

METHODSseventy Septic shock patients were divided into four groups: heat damaging qi-yin group (HDQY, 23 cases); yin exhaustion and yang collapse group (YEYC, 26 cases); excessive heat in Fu organ group (EHFO, 10 cases); and heat damaging nutrient-blood group (HDNB, 11 cases). Sublingual microcirculation parameters were observed by sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging and scored by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and parameters of microcirculation perfusion variations and prognoses were analyzed.

RESULTSCompared with those with qi-yin heat damage, perfused vessel density (PVD) in other groups decreased dramatically (P<0.05), and APACHE II scores increased significantly (P<0.05). In addition, the recovery time was prolonged substantially (P<0.05), and the mixed venous oxygen saturation (SVO2) decreased (P<0.05). Blood lactic acid increased significantly (P<0.05), and the mixed SVO decreased (P<0.05), in the YEYC group. Compared with the thermal injury camp blood group, sublingual microcirculation parameter variations showed no obvious difference in the YEYC and EHFO groups (P>0.05). There were significant positive correlations between CM syndromes and APACHE II scoring in different groups (r=0.512, P<0.05). There were negative correlations between PVD and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.378, P=0.043), the proportion of perfused vessels (PPV) and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.472, P=0.008), as well as between the microvascular flow index (MFI) and APACHE II scoring (r=-0.424, P=0.023) in different patients.

CONCLUSIONSublingual microcirculation may serve as a clinical diagnostic parameter of the patient condition, as well as being a prognostic indicator.