The strategy of treating critically ill patients by increasing oxygen
delivery and consumption to values previously observed among survivors
of critical illness (supranormal values) is based on the belief that
(1) tissue hypoxia may persist in critically ill patients despite aggr
essive early resuscitation to traditional endpoints of adequate tissue
perfusion and (2) that increasing oxygen delivery can reverse tissue
hypoxia. This article addresses the question of whether increasing oxy
gen delivery improves outcomes in critically ill patients by reviewing
the relationship between whole-body oxygen delivery and consumption a
nd by critically examining the randomized controlled trials that have
increased oxygen delivery to supranormal values.