Gelissen H, de Grooth HJ, Smulders Y, et al. - No statistically significant reduction in organ dysfunction was conferred by treatment with a low-normal PaO ₂ target, vs a high-normal PaO ₂ target, in critically ill patients with 2 or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria.

• This was a randomized clinical trial of 400 patients in the intensive care unit with at least 2 positive SIRS criteria.

• Randomization to a target PaO ₂ range of 8 to 12 kPa vs 14 to 18 kPa caused a median SOFA _RANK score [a ranked outcome of nonrespiratory organ failure quantified by the nonrespiratory components of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score] of −35 vs −40 (lower score implies less organ failure severity), a difference that was not statistically significant.

• More frequent occurrence of mild hypoxemic measurements was noted in the low-normal group (1.9% vs 1.2%; median difference, 0.73).

• Median duration of mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality did not differ significantly between groups.

• In the low-normal PaO ₂ group and high-normal PaO ₂ group, acute kidney failure occurred in 20 patients (10%) and in 21 patients (11%) and acute myocardial infarction in 6 patients (2.9%) and in 7 patients (3.6%), respectively.