Disturbance of normal homeostasis occurs when oxygen delivery and energy stores to the body's tissues fail to meet the energy requirement of cells. The work submitted in this review is important because it advances the understanding of inadequate oxygen delivery as it relates to early diagnosis and treatment of circulatory shock and its relationship to disturbance of normal functioning of cellular metabolism in life-threatening conditions of hemorrhage. We explored data from the clinical and exercise literature to construct for the first time a conceptual framework for defining the limitation of inadequate delivery of oxygen by comparing the physiology of hemorrhagic shock caused by severe blood loss to maximal oxygen uptake induced by intense physical exercise. We also provide a translational framework in which understanding the fundamental relationship between the body's reserve to compensate for conditions of inadequate oxygen delivery as a limiting factor to O2max helps to re-evaluate paradigms of triage for improved monitoring of accurate resuscitation in patients suffering from hemorrhagic shock.
Keywords: Oxygen deficit; blood lactate; blood pH; compensatory reserve; oxygen extraction reserve.