Arch Surg Chicago
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The relative value of pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) and right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) as a reflection of the preload status of the critically ill was determined in 29 patients. Regression analysis of 131 hemodynamic studies demonstrated that cardiac index (CI) correlated better with RVEDVI (r = .61) than did PAWP (r = .42). ⋯ However, all eight patients with a RVEDVI less than 90 mL/m2 responded with a rise in CI, but all seven patients with a RVEDVI greater than or equal to 139 mL/m2 failed to respond. Thus, RVEDVI more accurately predicted preload recruitable increases in cardiac output.