Abstract
Measurements of stroke volume (SV) by echo-Doppler techniques (2D-echocardiography, continuous and pulsed Doppler) were compared to those obtained by thermodilution in 116 critically ill patients. The best correlation was obtained with pulsed Doppler positioned in the left ventricular (LV) outflow (r=0,78, p<0.001). In a subgroup of 12 patients who had LV ejection fraction < 60% and LV end-diastolic pressure > 15 mmHg, we also measured the peak aortic blood velocity (PABV) and acceleration (PABA) by continuous and pulsed Doppler as indexes of myocardial contractility before coronary artery bypass graft. When compared to healthy volunteers, these patients had decreased PABV and PABA, measured by continuous Doppler (91±16 vs 79±9 cm/s, p<0.05 and 913±202 vs 660±149 cm/s/s, p<0.05, respectively). These data therefore indicate that in critically ill patients pulsed Doppler placed in the LV outflow is an adequate echo-Doppler technique to measure SV, while continuous Doppler placed in the suprasternal notch can be used to assess LV performance.
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Goldstein, M., Vincent, J.L. & Kahn, R.J. Evaluation of cardiac function by echo-Doppler studies in critically ill patients. Intensive Care Med 14, 406–410 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262897
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262897