Severe abnormalities in microvascular perfused vessel density are associated to organ dysfunctions and mortality and can be predicted by hyperlactatemia and norepinephrine requirements in septic shock patients

Perfused vessel density is significantly related to organ dysfunctions and mortality in septic shock patients, particularly in patients exhibiting more severe abnormalities as represented by the lowest quartile of distribution for this parameter. The presence of hyperlactatemia and high norepinephrine requirements increases the odds of finding a severe underlying microvascular dysfunction during a sublingual microcirculatory assessment.