Respiratory Variability of Pulmonary Velocity-Time Integral As a New Gauge of Fluid Responsiveness For Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the ICU

Objectives: To evaluate reliability and feasibility of the respiratory variability of pulmonary velocity-time integral as a new dynamic marker of fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Medical-surgical ICU of a general hospital. Patients: Fifty mechanically ventilated patients with acute circulatory failure. Interventions: Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at inclusion (transthoracic echocardiography baseline). Fluid therapy was prescribed to patients exhibiting one value greater than or equal to 13% among commonly used variables of fluid responsiveness: respiratory variability of aortic velocity-time integral, respiratory variability of inferior vena cava diameter, or pulse pressure variation. Measurements and Main Results: Respiratory variability of pulmonary velocity-time integral was assessed at baseline. Respiratory variability of pulmonary velocity-time integral was significantly greater in patients who received fluid therapy (26.9 ± 12.5% vs 6.2 ± 4.3%; p

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