The Open Critical Care Medicine Journal
2010, 3 : 33-37Published online 2010 July 15. DOI: 10.2174/1874828701003010033
Publisher ID: TOCCMJ-3-33
Use of Ultrasound to Assess Fluid Responsiveness in the Intensive Care Unit
The Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, New Hyde Park, New York, USA.
ABSTRACT
Determining the appropriate amount of fluid resuscitation to administer to a critically ill patient is a complex decision. Traditional tools for the assessment of preload sensitivity such as central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) are inaccurate in predicting whether a patient requires volume resuscitation [1]. Diagnostic ultrasonography in the form of echocardiography offers an alternative means of determining whether a patient is preload sensitive.