Monitoring of organ functions. Dysfunction of kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and coagulation

• Published in: Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin, 2012-02, Vol.107 (1), p.7-16
• Main Authors: Lehner, G F, Pechlaner, C, Graziadei, I W, Joannidis, M
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• Subjects: Acute Kidney Injury - diagnosis; Acute Kidney Injury - mortality; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Coagulation Disorders - diagnosis; Blood Coagulation Tests; Early Diagnosis; Gastrointestinal Diseases - diagnosis; Gastrointestinal Diseases - mortality; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Liver Failure - diagnosis; Liver Failure - mortality; Liver Function Tests; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Multiple Organ Failure - diagnosis; Multiple Organ Failure - mortality; Pancreatic Diseases - diagnosis; Pancreatic Diseases - mortality; Pancreatic Function Tests; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing - diagnosis; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing - mortality; Prognosis; Reference Values; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 2193-6226
• DOI: 10.1007/s00063-011-0032-7

Monitoring of organ function is one of the core tasks of intensive care medicine. Although various monitoring devices and parameters have already been established for some organs, there are no or only few conditionally useful parameters or scores available for the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and blood coagulation. Therefore, specific biomarkers and scores as well as combinations of both are currently investigated for better monitoring of these organs. This article gives a critical overview of currently used as well as investigational biomarkers, tests and scores in general, and shows some examples of the implications for common diseases, clinical situations and constellations in the intensive care unit.