Right ventricular function after cardiac surgery: the diagnostic and prognostic role of echocardiography.
Cardiac surgical techniques and circulatory supports have strongly evolved in the last years. Right ventricular (RV) function during the post-operatory period is still subject of study, although its relevant prognostic impact has been variably described in different papers. RV post-surgical dysfunction’s underlying mechanisms are still not clear and include a different hypothesis. Echocardiography, with both first and second level parameters, offers the possibility to accurately analyze the right ventricle and optimize these patients’ management. This paper describes the pathophysiology of the right ventricle, the most used echo indexes of RV function, whether they alter after surgery, the …
Speckle tracking analysis in intensive care unit: A toy or a tool?
The use of conventional echocardiography in the intensive care unit (ICU) is today established to assess left and right ventricular systolic function, for preload determination and procedural guidance. Next step in ICU echocardiography could be the use of novel ultrasound techniques such as strain echocardiography to assist in the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or pulmonary embolism. This review has gathered the available evidence supporting the incremental value of strain in the diagnostic workup of cardiac diseases treated in ICU.