Articles: function.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2015
Pulmonary Impedance and Pulmonary Doppler Trace in the Perioperative Period.
Pulmonary hypertension and associated vascular changes may frequently accompany left-sided heart disease in the adult cardiac surgical population. Perioperative assessment of right ventricular function using echocardiography is well established. In general, understanding the constraints upon which the right ventricle must work is mostly limited to invasive monitoring consisting of pulmonary artery pressures, cardiac output, and pulmonary vascular resistance. ⋯ The measurement of acceleration time, the time from onset to peak flow velocity is an indicator of constraint to ejection; shortened times have been associated with increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure. Understanding the changes in the pulmonary arterial system in disease and the physics of the hemodynamic alterations are essential in interpreting pulmonary artery Doppler data. Analyzing pulmonary artery Doppler flow signals may assist in the evaluation of right ventricular function in patients with pulmonary vascular disease.
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Critical care medicine · Sep 2015
β1-Adrenergic Inhibition Improves Cardiac and Vascular Function in Experimental Septic Shock.
Preliminary experimental data suggest that selective β1-blockers may improve ex vivo cardiac function in animal sepsis. Currently, the effects of esmolol on in vivo cardiac function and on vascular function are unknown. The present study was designed to examine the effects of the β1-selective blocker esmolol on myocardial and vascular function in peritonitis-induced septic rats and to explore the inflammatory pathways involved in this process. ⋯ Adjunction of selective β1-blockade to standard septic shock management enhances intrinsic cardiac contractility and vascular responsiveness to catecholamines. These protective cardiovascular effects are likely predominantly attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of esmolol.