Pulse pressure: more than 100 years of changes in stroke volume

Evaluation of radial artery pulse pressure effects on detection of stroke volume changes after volume loading maneuvers in cardiac surgical patients

BACKGROUND

Fluid responsiveness is defined as an increase in cardiac output (CO) or stroke volume (SV) of >10-15% after fluid challenge (FC). However, CO or SV monitoring is often not available in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether changes in radial artery pulse pressure (rPP) induced by FC or passive leg raising (PLR) correlates with changes in SV in patients after cardiac surgery.

METHODS

This prospective observational study included 102 patients undergoing cardiac surgery, in which rPP and SV were recorded before and immediately after a PLR test and FC with 250 mL of Gelofusine for 10 min. SV was measured using pulse contour analysis. Patients were divided into responders (≥15% increase in SV after FC) and non-responders. The hemodynamic variables between responders and non-responders were analyzed to assess the ability of rPP to track SV changes.

RESULTS

A total of 52% patients were fluid responders in this study. An rPP increase induced by FC was significantly correlated with SV changes after a FC (ΔSV-FC, r=0.62, P<0.01). A fluid-induced increase in rPP (ΔrPP-FC) of >16% detected a fluid-induced increase in SV of >15%, with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 73%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the fluid-induced changes in rPP identified fluid responsiveness was 0.881 (95% CI: 0.802-0.937). A grey zone of 16-34% included 30% of patients for ΔrPP-FC. The ΔrPP-PLR was weakly correlated with ΔSV-FC (r=0.30, P<0.01). An increase in rPP induced by PLR (ΔrPP-PLR) predicted fluid responsiveness with an AUROC of 0.734 (95% CI: 0.637-0.816). A grey zone of 10-23% included 52% of patients for ΔrPP-PLR.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in rPP might be used to detect changes in SV via FC in mechanically ventilated patients after cardiac surgery. In contrast, changes in rPP induced by PLR are unreliable predictors of fluid responsiveness.

Clarification of the circulatory patho-physiology of anaesthesia - implications for high-risk surgical patients

The paper examines the effects of anaesthesia on circulatory physiology and their implications regarding improvement in perioperative anaesthetic management. Changes to current anaesthetic practice, recommended recently, such as the use of flow monitoring in high risk patients, are already beginning to have an impact in reducing complications but not mortality [1]. Better understanding of the patho-physiology should help improve management even further. Analysis of selected individual clinical trials has been used to illustrate particular areas of patho-physiology and how changes in practice have improved outcome. There is physiological support for the importance of achieving an appropriate rate of oxygen delivery (DO2), particularly following induction of anaesthesia. It is suggested that ensuring adequate DO2 during anaesthesia will avoid development of oxygen debt and hence obviate the need to induce a high, compensatory, DO2 in the post-operative period. In contrast to the usual assumptions underlying strategies requiring a global increase in blood flow [1] by a stroke volume near maximization strategy, blood flow control actually resides entirely at the tissues not at the heart. This is important as the starting point for understanding failed circulatory control as indicated by 'volume dependency'. Local adjustments in blood flow at each individual organ - auto-regulation - normally ensure the appropriate local rate of oxygen supply, i.e. local DO2. Inadequate blood volume leads to impairment of the regulation of blood flow, particularly in the individual tissues with least capable auto-regulatory capability. As demonstrated by many studies, inadequate blood flow first occurs in the gut, brain and kidney. The inadequate blood volume which occurs with induction of anaesthesia is not due to blood volume loss, but probably results from redistribution due to veno-dilation. The increase in venous capacity renders the existing blood volume inadequate to maintain venous return and pre-load. Blood volume shifted to the veins will, necessarily, also reduce the arterial volume. As a result stroke volume and cardiac output fall below normal with little or no change in peripheral resistance. The resulting pre-load dependency is often successfully treated with colloid infusion and, in some studies, 'inotropic' agents, particularly in the immediate post-operative phase. Treatment during the earliest stage of anaesthesia can avoid the build up of oxygen debt and may be supplemented by drugs which maintain or restore venous tone, such as phenylephrine; an alternative to volume expansion. Interpretation of circulatory patho-physiology during anaesthesia confirms the need to sustain appropriate oxygen delivery. It also supports reduction or even elimination of supplementary crystalloid maintenance infusion, supposedly to replace the "mythical" third space loss. As a rational evidence base for future research it should allow for further improvements in anaesthetic management.

Ejection fractions and pressure-heart rate product to evaluate cardiac efficiency. Continuous, real-time diagnosis using blood pressure and heart rate

INTRODUCTION

Ejection fractions, derived from ventricular volumes, and double product, related to myocardial oxygen consumption, are important diagnostic parameters, as they describe the efficiency with which oxygen is consumed. Present technology often allows only intermittent determination of physiological status. This deficiency may be overcome if ejection fractions and myocardial oxygen consumption could be determined from continuous blood pressure and heart rate measurements. The purpose of this study is to determine the viability of pressure-derived ejection fractions and pressure-heart rate data in a diverse patient population and the use of ejection fractions to monitor patient safety.

METHODS

Volume ejection fractions, derived from ventricular volumes, EF(V), are defined by the ratio of the difference of end-diastolic volume, EDV, and end-systolic volume, ESV, to EDV. In analogy, pressure ejection fraction, EF(P), may be defined by the ratio of the difference of systolic arterial pressure, SBP, and diastolic arterial pressure, DBP, to SBP. The pressure-heart rate (heart rate: HR) is given by the product of systolic pressure and heart rate, SBP × HR. EF(P) and SBP × HR data were derived for all patients (n = 824) who were admitted in 2008 to the ICU of a university hospital at the specific time 30 min prior to leaving the ICU whether as survivors or non-survivors. The results are displayed in an efficiency/pressure-heart rate diagram.

RESULTS

The efficiency/pressure-heart rate diagram reveals one subarea populated exclusively by survivors, another subarea populated statistically significant by non-survivors, and a third area shared by survivors and non-survivors.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The efficiency/pressure-heart rate product relationship may be used as an outcome criterion to assess survival and to noninvasively monitor improvement or deterioration in real time to improve safety in patients with diverse dysfunctions.

Fluid challenge: tracking changes in cardiac output with blood pressure monitoring (invasive or non-invasive)

PURPOSE

To assess whether invasive and non-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring allows the identification of patients who have responded to a fluid challenge, i.e., who have increased their cardiac output (CO).

METHODS

Patients with signs of circulatory failure were prospectively included. Before and after a fluid challenge, CO and the mean of four intra-arterial and oscillometric brachial cuff BP measurements were collected. Fluid responsiveness was defined by an increase in CO ≥10 or ≥15% in case of regular rhythm or arrhythmia, respectively.

RESULTS

In 130 patients, the correlation between a fluid-induced increase in pulse pressure (Δ500mlPP) and fluid-induced increase in CO was weak and was similar for invasive and non-invasive measurements of BP: r² = 0.31 and r² = 0.29, respectively (both p < 0.001). For the identification of responders, invasive Δ500mlPP was associated with an area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) of 0.82 (0.74-0.88), similar (p = 0.80) to that of non-invasive Δ500mlPP [AUC of 0.81 (0.73-0.87)]. Outside large gray zones of inconclusive values (5-23% for invasive Δ500mlPP and 4-35% for non-invasive Δ500mlPP, involving 35 and 48% of patients, respectively), the detection of responsiveness or unresponsiveness to fluid was reliable. Cardiac arrhythmia did not impair the performance of invasive or non-invasive Δ500mlPP. Other BP-derived indices did not outperform Δ500mlPP.

CONCLUSIONS

As evidenced by large gray zones, BP-derived indices poorly reflected fluid responsiveness. However, in our deeply sedated population, a high increase in invasive pulse pressure (>23%) or even in non-invasive pulse pressure (>35%) reliably detected a response to fluid. In the absence of a marked increase in pulse pressure (<4-5%), a response to fluid was unlikely.