Table 2.
How respondents use and interpret capillary refill time
| Overall | Adult practice | Pediatric practice | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 418 | n = 308 | n = 110 | ||
| Would you say that capillary refill time is a reliable measurement in clinical practice, n (%) | ||||
| No | 34 (8.1) | 31 (10.1) | 3 (2.7) | < 0.001 |
| Possibly | 139 (33.3) | 123 (39.9) | 16 (14.5) | |
| Probably | 146 (34.9) | 96 (31.2) | 50 (45.5) | |
| Certainly | 99 (23.7) | 58 (18.8) | 41 (37.3) | |
| Would you say that capillary refill time is a reproducible measurement in clinical practice, n (%) | ||||
| No | 37 (8.9) | 32 (10.4) | 5 (4.5) | 0.001 |
| Possibly | 92 (22.0) | 79 (25.6) | 13 (11.8) | |
| Probably | 129 (30.9) | 93 (30.2) | 36 (32.7) | |
| Certainly | 160 (38.3) | 104 (33.8) | 56 (50.9) | |
| According to you, what is the pathological threshold of capillary refill time, n (%) | ||||
| It depends on the clinical context; we cannot define a threshold | 39 (9.3) | 34 (11.0) | 5 (4.5) | 0.002 |
| More than 2 seconds | 27 (6.5) | 13 (4.2) | 14 (12.7) | |
| More than 3 seconds | 308 (73.7) | 223 (72.4) | 85 (77.3) | |
| More than 5 seconds | 43 (10.3) | 37 (12.0) | 6 (5.5) | |
| More than 7 seconds | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Do you think that capillary refill time can be used to diagnose acute circulatory failure, n (%) | ||||
| No | 34 (8.1) | 27 (8.8) | 7 (6.4) | 0.012 |
| Possibly | 114 (27.3) | 96 (31.2) | 18 (16.4) | |
| Probably | 148 (35.4) | 103 (33.4) | 45 (40.9) | |
| Certainly | 122 (29.2) | 82 (26.6) | 40 (36.4) | |
| Do you think that capillary refill time has a prognostic value in patients with acute circulatory failure, n (%) | ||||
| No | 190 (45.5) | 122 (39.6) | 68 (61.8) | 0.001 |
| Possibly | 122 (29.2) | 97 (31.5) | 25 (22.7) | |
| Probably | 69 (16.5) | 58 (18.8) | 11 (10.0) | |
| Certainly | 37 (8.9) | 31 (10.1) | 6 (5.5) | |
| Do you think that capillary refill time is a reliable surrogate marker of tissue perfusion, n (%) | ||||
| No | 54 (12.9) | 45 (14.6) | 9 (8.2) | 0.206 |
| Possibly | 135 (32.3) | 102 (33.1) | 33 (30.0) | |
| Probably | 162 (38.8) | 112 (36.4) | 50 (45.5) | |
| Certainly | 67 (16.0) | 49 (15.9) | 18 (16.4) | |
| Do you think that capillary refill time is a surrogate marker of cardiac output, n (%) | ||||
| No | 195 (46.7) | 154 (50.0) | 41 (37.3) | 0.133 |
| Possibly | 150 (35.9) | 105 (34.1) | 45 (40.9) | |
| Probably | 50 (12.0) | 33 (10.7) | 17 (15.5) | |
| Certainly | 23 (5.5) | 16 (5.2) | 7 (6.4) | |
| Do you think that a perfusion goal-directed therapy based on capillary refill time could reduce mortality in patients with acute circulatory failure, n (%) | ||||
| No | 81 (19.4) | 63 (20.5) | 18 (16.4) | 0.027 |
| Possibly | 182 (43.5) | 143 (46.4) | 39 (35.5) | |
| Probably | 116 (27.8) | 79 (25.6) | 37 (33.6) | |
| Certainly | 39 (9.3) | 23 (7.5) | 16 (14.5) | |
| Do you think that capillary refill time is useful in clinical practice, n (%) | ||||
| No | 18 (4.3) | 16 (5.2) | 2 (1.8) | < 0.001 |
| Possibly | 88 (21.1) | 79 (25.6) | 9 (8.2) | |
| Probably | 130 (31.1) | 100 (32.5) | 30 (27.3) | |
| Certainly | 182 (43.5) | 113 (36.7) | 69 (62.7) | |
| Do you follow a resuscitation strategy aiming at normalizing capillary refill time, n (%) | ||||
| Never | 218 (52.2) | 184 (59.7) | 34 (30.9) | < 0.001 |
| Sometimes | 175 (41.9) | 116 (37.7) | 59 (53.6) | |
| Always | 25 (6.0) | 8 (2.6) | 17 (15.5) | |
| Is there a capillary refill time goal directed therapy-based protocol in your institution, n (%) | ||||
| No | 375 (89.7) | 282 (91.6) | 93 (84.5) | 0.093 |
| Yes | 13 (3.1) | 7 (2.3) | 6 (5.5) | |
| I don’t know | 30 (7.2) | 19 (6.2) | 11 (10.0) | |
| Do you report capillary refill time in the medical record (%) | ||||
| Never | 113 (27.0) | 109 (35.4) | 4 (3.6) | < 0.001 |
| Sometimes | 226 (54.1) | 174 (56.5) | 52 (47.3) | |
| Always | 79 (18.9) | 25 (8.1) | 54 (49.1) | |
| Do you personally perform capillary refill time? | ||||
| Yes | 342 (81.8) | 233 (75.6) | 109 (99.1) | < 0.001 |