Correlation Between Capillary Refill Time and Perfusion Index in Critically Ill Patients (CRIPI)

Correlation Between Capillary Refilling tIme and Perfusion Index in Critically Ill Patients

Assessment of capillary refill time (CRT) is a cornerstone of tissue perfusion monitoring in critically ill patients.

CRT measurement is performed by applying brief and gentle pressure (for a few seconds) to a small area of skin until blanching occurs. CRT is defined as the time, in seconds, required for the skin surface to return to its initial color after release of pressure.

Although CRT is a monitoring tool used on a daily basis in emergency departments and critical care units, its practical measurement modalities remain poorly standardized and time-consuming. Consequently, there is no consensus regarding the most reproducible bedside method for CRT assessment. Moreover, repeated CRT measurements during patient management are resource-intensive in terms of medical time and may raise issues related to healthcare staff availability.

The perfusion index (PI) is a marker of tissue perfusion derived from a pulse oximetry sensor. This monitoring device is routinely used in all critically ill patients. It is placed on the finger and worn continuously, including during patient transport.

Because PI measurement is automatic and continuous, establishing its correlation with CRT could allow for more precise tissue perfusion monitoring while reducing the time burden associated with bedside assessments in critically ill patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Monitoring; Microcirculation; Hemodynamics Instability; Shock State
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Microcirculation monitoring; Other: Microcirculation monitoring

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Neven STEVIC, MD; Phone Number: +33 4 72 11 28 62; Email: neven.stevic@chu-lyon.fr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Martin COUR, MD; Phone Number: +33 4 72 11 28 50; Email: martin.cour@chu-lyon.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Bron, France, 69500
    • Recruiting
    • Service de Réanimation cardio-vasculaire et thoracique, Hôpital Cardiologique louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon
    • Contact: Matthias Matthias JACQUET-LAGREZE, MD; Phone Number: +33 4 72 35 75 49; Email: matthias.jacquet-lagreze@chu-lyon.fr
    • Principal Investigator: Matthias JACQUET-LAGREZE, MD
  • Lyon, France, 69003
    • Recruiting
    • Service de Médecine Intensive-Réanimation, Hôpital Édouard Herriot, Hospices Civils de Lyon
    • Contact: Neven STEVIC, MD; Phone Number: +33 4 72 11 28 62; Email: neven.stevic@chu-lyon.fr
    • Principal Investigator: Neven STEVIC, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients admitted to a University Hospital, either to a medical or surgical intensive care unit.

Description

Inclusion criteria :

• Adult patient.
• Admission within the previous 24 hours, or within 24 hours of the onset of a hemodynamic instability criterion (requirement for vasopressors or fluid resuscitation).
• Absence of patient objection.

Exclusion criteria :

• Legal guardianship, curatorship, or judicial protection.
• No social security coverage.
• Morphological abnormalities preventing CRT and IP measurements.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perfusion index (PI) threshold associated with abnormal capillary refill time (CRT)	The primary endpoint will be the PI threshold associated with abnormal CRT (> 3 seconds). CRT is measured in seconds and PI in arbitrary units. These parameters will be measured simultaneously on each patient. Measurements will be performed at the inclusion of each patient.	At the inclusion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 29, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 29, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 29, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Intensive care; Microcirculation; Perfusion index; Capillary refill time
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Investigative Techniques; Weights and Measures
• Other Study ID Numbers: 69HCL26_0232

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No