• Torjus Wester, E Häggblad, Z A Awan, A Barratt-Due, M Kvernebo, P S Halvorsen, T E Mollnes, and K Kvernebo.
• Department of Cardio-thoracic surgery, Oslo Unversity Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. torjus.wester@medisin.uio.no
• Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2011 Mar 1; 31 (2): 151-8.

Aim  To examine the relation between central hemodynamics, clinical severity and microvascular findings in tongue and skin during sepsis.Materials And Methods  Skin and tongue microcirculation was examined using laser Doppler and video microscopy techniques before and 200 min after inducing sepsis in pigs (n=6) by inactivated Neisseria meningitides and in two control animals.Results  All infected pigs developed clinical signs of sepsis. Pericapillary bleedings developed in the tongue in the two pigs with the most severe disease. Capillary density increased in the groin skin in infected pigs after 200 min as compared to baseline (P<0·02). In the same period, mean capillary flow velocity was reduced in groin skin and tongue in septic pigs (P<0·02). At 200 min a fraction of capillaries had developed 'no flow' or 'brisk flow', patterns hardly seen at baseline. Laser Doppler perfusion was reduced in ear and tongue after 200 min (P<0·02 for both). The described pathology was more pronounced in the pigs with the most severe sepsis.Conclusion  Capillary bleedings may be used as an early indication of severe sepsis. Examination of skin and tongue microcirculations may be used to characterize severity of sepsis and possibly to assess effect of treatment.© 2010 The Authors. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging © 2010 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine.

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