Summary
The sublingual area is the most used site to assess microcirculation in critically ill patients at bedside. The prerequisite for microcirculation evaluation, using HVM imaging (Handheld Vital Microscopy), is to ensure measurements free of image artifacts, confirming an adequate analysis of blood flow. However, this would only be possible with standardization in the process of image capture. Currently, with the Hands On technique, the recommended capture time is 4 to 20 seconds, which is already considered laborious. In this study, the Hands Free 3.C technique proposes an alternative that maximizes the image period of sublingual microcirculation (as suggested by the Second Consensus) for more than 12 minutes, and thus opening the way for future research aiming at therapeutic maneuvers in critically ill patients such as COVID -19 and sepsis.
KEY WORDS: sublingual microcirculation, HVM imaging, Hands Free 3.C technique, stabilizer, duration of sublingual image, Covid -19, sepsis.
How to cite this article
VIEIRA, J. C. F. Hands free 3.c technique – step by step: maximizes the duration of sublingual microcirculatory image – a prognosis to monitor microcirculation in patients with covid-19 and sepsis. Int. J. Odontostomat., 15(3):741-747, 2021.
