The Hemodynamics of Septic Shock: A Historical Perspective

Title:The Hemodynamics of Septic Shock: A Historical Perspective

Volume: 11 Issue: 2

Author(s): Francois Feihl, Bernard Waeber and Lucas Liaudet

Affiliation:

Keywords: History, shock, sepsis, hemodynamics, blood pressure, cardiac output, venous return

Abstract: In the late 19th century, it was already known that severe infections could be associated with cardiovascular collapse, a fact essentially attributed to cardiac failure. A major experimental work in the rabbit, published by Romberg and Pässler in 1899, shifted attention to disturbed peripheral vascular tone as the mechanism of hypotension in these conditions. In the first half of the 20th century, great progresses were made in the pathophysiologic understanding of hemorrhagic and traumatic shocks, while researchers devoted relatively little attention to septic shock. Progress in the hemodynamic understanding of septic shock resumed with the advent of critical care units. The hyperdynamic state was recognized in the late fifties and early sixties. The present short review ends with landmark studies by Max Harry Weil, demonstrating the importance of venous pooling, and John H. Siegel, which introduced the concept of deficient peripheral utilization of oxygen, inspiring later work on the microvascular disturbances of septic shock.

Cite this article as:

Feihl Francois, Waeber Bernard and Liaudet Lucas, The Hemodynamics of Septic Shock: A Historical Perspective, Current Vascular Pharmacology 2013; 11 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570161111311020003