Grant: CIHR-ICRH Travel Awards - General pool

When critically ill patients need care in the ICU, maintaining proper blood flow to organs is crucial. Current methods for managing blood pressure are one-size-fits-all. Our study looked for a personalized approach using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to understand how optimal blood pressure varies in different body parts. We monitored 15 critically ill patients using NIRS sensors on muscles and the brain. This helped us identify the best blood pressure targets for each patient. Interestingly, we found a moderate positive correlation between the optimal blood pressure targets derived from skeletal muscle and those from the brain. However, despite this correlation, we found that the targets differed between muscles and the brain, and also differed between each patient. This study is the first to use NIRS to understand blood flow control in different body areas. This insight could help doctors improve blood pressure management, tailored to each patient's needs, for better ICU outcomes.