ABSTRACT

Static monitors for assessing the fluid status during major surgeries and in critically ill patients have been gradually replaced by more accurate dynamic monitors in modern-day anaesthesia practice. Pulse pressure variation (PPV) and systolic pressure variation (SPV) are the two commonly used dynamic indices for assessing fluid responsiveness.

In this prospective observational study, 50 patients undergoing major surgeries were monitored for PPV and SPV: after the induction of anaesthesia and after the administration of 500 mL of isotonic crystalloid bolus. Following the fluid bolus, patients with a cardiac output increase of more than 15% were classified as responders and those with an increase of less than 15% were classified as non-responders.

There were no significant differences in the heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), PPV, SVV, central venous pressure (CVP) and cardiac index (CI) between responders and non-responders. Before fluid bolus, the stroke volume was significantly lower in responders (p=0.030). After fluid bolus, MAP was significantly higher in responders but there were no significant changes in HR, CVP, CI, PPV and SVV. In both responders and non-responders, PPV strongly correlated with SVV before and after fluid bolus.

Both PPV and SVV are useful to predict cardiac response to fluid loading. In both responders and non-responders, PPV has a greater association with fluid responsiveness than SVV.

Keywords: Fluid management, pulse pressure variation, systolic pressure variation, fluid responsiveness