Synergetic Order and Chaotic Malfunctions of the Circulatory Systems in Multiple Organ Failure

Abstract

“Synergetics” and “chaos theory” [1–4] prove to be extremely helpful in comprehending the order and stability of biological processes, defining deterministic cooperativity (“synergetic order”) as emaneting from the controlled flow of energy and matter in restricted compartments. “Chaos theory” is rapidly gaining interest among medical theoreticians and medical practitioners for three reasons: 1. there is increasing awareness that biological processes are subject to fundamental regularities — but also to the inherent unpredictabilities — of many dynamic “multiphase systems” (v.i.) studied in chemistry and physics, 2. functional cooperativity, previously thought to be the privilege of biological systems, also exists in chemical and physical systems, bears the trait for catastophic reactions which are deterministic yet unpredictable and 3. new, and generally applicable criteria for the establishment of stability of processes (and for their breakdown) are in progress of being developed. Already now, the comprehension of a broad spectrum of endogeneously stable and coherent processes, and the knowledge of destabilizing mechanisms in the cooperativity of intravascular, extravascular and intracellular process is of potential practical interest to intensive care and emergency medicine.

Dedicated to Prof. Ilja Prigogine, Brussels, in admiration.