title: Echocardiography for hemodynamic evaluation in the intensive care unit.
abstract: The use of echocardiography in the intensive care unit for patients in shock allows the accurate measurement of several hemodynamic variables in a noninvasive way. By using echocardiography as a hemodynamic monitoring tool, the clinician can evaluate several aspects of shock states, such as cardiac output and fluid responsiveness, myocardial contractility, intracavitary pressures, and biventricular interactions. However, to date, there have been few guidelines suggesting an objective hemodynamic-based examination in the intensive care unit, and most intensivists are usually not familiar with this tool. In this review, we describe some of the most important hemodynamic parameters that can be obtained at the bedside with transthoracic echocardiography.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil. dnoritomi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Danilo Teixeira
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Noritomi
authors.forename: Marcelo Luiz Campos
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mohovic
authors.forename: Jaime Freitas
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Ricardo Luiz
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Cordioli
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akamine
authors.forename: Cláudio Henrique
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004452:Echocardiography; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D012769:Shock / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D013599:Systole