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Cardiac Function (Cardiac Output and Its Determinants)

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Monitoring Tissue Perfusion in Shock

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Abstract

The cardiovascular system is designed to supply the body to the needs of metabolic demand. When cardiac output (CO) falls short or systemic metabolic demand is increased, the patient is in jeopardy. CO is greatly determined by the amount of venous return (VR) delivered to the right ventricle (RV). VR is dependent on the balance between unstressed and stressed volume, which portends the driving pressure for VR. Stressed volume can be calculated by measurement of mean systemic filling pressure (P ms). There are multiple (clinical and experimental) modalities to measure P ms. The net driving pressure estimated as the upstream pressure (P ms) relative to right atrial pressure (P ra), often deferred the driving pressure for venous return (P vr). Resistance to flow, which counts for both arterial vascular resistance and resistance to venous return (RVR), is calculated by various methods depending on the vascular circuit and flow characteristics each circuit creates. In conjunction to the systemic circulation, atria serve as a reservoir and conduit, where the right atrium particularly plays an important role in modulating venous return. Owing to this reservoir and conduit function, atrial contraction plays a lesser role in delivery of blood to the chambers. The ventricles, thanks to the Frank-Starling effect, increase contraction when supplied with this preload. A complex interplay of inotropy, lusitropy, and chronotropy comprising both systolic and diastolic function enable the heart to optimally transfer the blood it receives, thereby assisted by the concepts of ventricular interdependence, ventriculo-arterial coupling, the role of the pericardium, and coronary blood supply.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Loek P. B. Meijs

  2. Department of Intensive Care, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Loek P. B. Meijs & Alexander J. G. H. Bindels

  3. Department of Intensive Care Adults, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, CA, Netherlands

    Jan Bakker

  4. Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Jan Bakker

  5. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Jan Bakker

  6. Department of Intensive Care, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Jan Bakker

  7. Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Michael R. Pinsky

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  1. Loek P. B. Meijs
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  2. Alexander J. G. H. Bindels
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  4. Michael R. Pinsky
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Loek P. B. Meijs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care, Erasmus MC University Hospital Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Alexandre Augusto Pinto Lima

  2. Medical School Hospital of the Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Eliézer Silva

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Meijs, L.P.B., Bindels, A.J.G.H., Bakker, J., Pinsky, M.R. (2018). Cardiac Function (Cardiac Output and Its Determinants). In: Pinto Lima, A., Silva, E. (eds) Monitoring Tissue Perfusion in Shock. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43130-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43130-7_5

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43130-7

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