Assessment of Myocardial Dysfunction and Hemodynamics By Echocardiography In critical care units

Abstract

Most ICU patients are monitored continuously, at least for certain respiratory, cardiac, or hemodynamic parameters. It is essential that patients undergoing an ultrasound examination in the ICU be monitored at least with noninvasive recording of blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and electrocardiogram. Performance of ultrasound examinations in the ICU allows procedures that previously required transport to the radiology suite to be performed at the bedside. This is an important advantage to a critically ill patient, because transport out of and back to the ICU is known to be associated with increased risk of complications. Optimization of cardiac function and intravascular volume are a primary goal in the management of critically ill patients. Researchers have shown that physical exam and vital signs alone are often inadequate as markers of effective resuscitation in the critically ill. Methods generally used to specify cardiac and intravascular volume conditions include central venous pressure, oxygen saturation monitors, pulmonary artery catheters, systemic arterial catheters, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), all of which require invasive procedures but invasive methods have potential