title: Right ventricular stroke volume variation: a tool to assess right ventricular volume responsiveness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  So far, only left ventricular functional preload indices are used as a routine to assess volume responsiveness. Right ventricular (RV) functional preload indices have been described, but offer no continuous monitoring.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following ethical approval, a pressure-induced right ventricular failure (RVF) was induced with continuous infusion of a thromboxane-A2-analogue (U46619) in 15 anesthetized and ventilated pigs. Before and after increasing mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) by 50%, right ventricular stroke volume variation (RVSVV) was assessed with an ultrasonic pulmonary artery flow probe. Measurements were repeated following volume depletion (- 300 mL) and stepwise retransfusion (200 mL of whole blood and 200 mL of a colloid solution).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant and systematic increase in RVSVV during induction of RVF was observed. Volume depletion led to an increase in RVSVV and re-transfusion led to a decrease in RVSVV. RVSVV was higher and a significant decrease in RVSVV was present in all animals experiencing an increase in CO by more than 5% during retransfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RVSVV seems to reflect volume requirement of the right ventricle and it might prove a reliable parameter to assess volume responsiveness in RVF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Center of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany - jkubitz@uke.de.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kubitz
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Goetz
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Reuter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001810:Blood Volume; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D013318:Stroke Volume; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000503:physiopathology*