Which of the following is a common physiologic finding in septic shock?

In septic shock, one of the hallmark physiologic findings is decreased urine output, which is indicative of acute kidney injury often caused by inadequate renal perfusion and response to systemic inflammatory mediators. During septic shock, the body’s response to infection leads to widespread vasodilation and altered blood flow, which can drastically affect kidney function. The kidneys are particularly sensitive to changes in blood flow; therefore, when perfusion is compromised due to the severe and persistent hypotension associated with septic shock, urine output drops significantly.

This decrease in urine output serves as a critical indicator for clinicians to recognize the severity of the patient's condition, prompting potential interventions to address the underlying sepsis and improve hemodynamic stability. In septic shock, instead of increased systemic vascular resistance as seen in hypovolemic shock, or maintaining normothermia (where patients are often febrile), there is typically an increased cardiac index due to the body’s compensatory mechanisms to improve perfusion. However, without adequate treatment and restoration of perfusion, reduced urine output remains a common and concerning finding.