BACKGROUND: To maintain adequate oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption is essential to care of the critically ill patients. The authors undertook this study to evaluate the patterns of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption in hemodynamically unstable patients. METHODS: Twenty hemodynamically unstable patients were studied. Pulmonary artery catheters were inserted and the hemodynamic variables including oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption were calculated immediately, and 1, 8, 24 hours, respectively after catheterization, and immediately before catheter removal. Patients were divided into survivor and nonsurvivor groups, and the hemodynamic data were compared. The same patients were divided into septic and nonseptic patient groups and same study was done. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption between the survivors and the nonsurvivors, and the septic and the nonseptic patients. But oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption of the survivors were higher than those of the nonsurvivors. CONCLUSIONS: Although we could not find statistical significance, we concluded that supranormal level of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption could improve the outcome of critically ill patients.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Critical Illness* ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Oxygen Consumption* ; Oxygen* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Survivors*