Anaerobic metabolism is a type of metabolism that does not use oxygen to create ATP. It relies on body fat (glycogen stores) to fill the gap left by oxygen to make ATP, and it is only effective for a short period of time.1 Anaerobic metabolism is approximately 90% less efficient in energy production than normal metabolism and the metabolic by-products are much more harmful to the body and are not buffered out as quickly. [5]
Eventually the patient reaches a state of global tissue hypo perfusion and soon multiple organs become ischemic and begin to fail. Ischemia is particularly concerning in this case as it is the result of tissue hypoxia to the point that tissue cells are beginning to die. As the cells die, so do the organs. This is a condition known as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The presence of MODS in the acutely injured patient is an ominous sign that the patient is not delivering oxygen adequately to the end-organ tissues and the organ systems are failing because of it.
