Change in stroke volume in response to fluid challenge: assessment using esophageal Doppler.
OBJECTIVE
To compare two methods of assessing a change in stroke volume in response to fluid challenge: esophageal Doppler and thermodilution with the pulmonary artery catheter.


METHODS
Prospective study.


METHODS
Department of Intensive Care of a university medical center.


METHODS
19 adult patients, intubated and sedated, with a pulmonary catheter and a clinical indication for a fluid challenge.


METHODS
Two examiners independently assessed the effect of a fluid challenge on stroke volume and cardiac output with esophageal Doppler. Thermodilution performed by an independent clinician was used as the reference. Between-method variation and interobserver variability of the Doppler method were assessed.


RESULTS
There were no differences in stroke volume and cardiac output before volume challenge when measured with either of the two methods or by the two examiners using the esophageal Doppler. Despite a small bias between the methods and the two examiners using the esophageal Doppler (overall bias for cardiac output 0.3 l/min), the precision was poor (1.8 l/min).


CONCLUSIONS
The esophageal Doppler method is a non-invasive alternative to the pulmonary artery catheter for the assessment of stroke volume in critically ill patients. Measurement of stroke volume response to fluid challenge using esophageal Doppler shows substantial interobserver variability. Despite the poor precision between methods and investigators, similar directional changes in stroke volume can be measured.
Roeck
Margareta
M
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
Jakob
Stephan M
SM
Boehlen
Thomas
T
Brander
Lukas
L
Knuesel
Rafael
R
Takala
Jukka
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013815:Thermodilution; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000706:statistics & numerical data