Respiratory changes of the inferior vena cava diameter predict fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients with cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract

In spontaneously breathing patients with cardiac arrhythmias, the collapsibility index and inspiratory diameter of the inferior vena cava assessed during a deep inspiration may be noninvasive bedside tools to predict fluid responsiveness in acute circulatory failure related to infection. These results, obtained in a small and selected population, need to be confirmed in a larger-scale study before considering any clinical application.