Clinical Research Directory

Peripheral Perfusion Index-guided Fluid Resuscitation for Preventing Acute Skin Failure in Elderly Critically Ill Patients

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial aimed to evaluate whether fluid resuscitation guided by the Peripheral Perfusion Index (PPI) could reduce the incidence of Acute Skin Failure (ASF) in elderly critically ill patients. A total of 216 patients aged ≥65 years with sepsis or other types of shock requiring early aggressive fluid resuscitation were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the PPI-guided resuscitation group or the conventional resuscitation group. The intervention group targeted maintaining PPI ≥1.4 in addition to conventional hemodynamic goals, while the control group followed standard resuscitation protocols. The primary outcome was the incidence of ASF within 7 days of ICU admission, diagnosed according to NPUAP/EPUAP (2014) criteria. Secondary outcomes included time to ASF occurrence, lactate clearance, cumulative fluid balance, organ function, and long-term prognosis.