Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Continuous Venous-Arterial Doppler Ultrasound During a Preload Challenge
Published on: January 20, 2023
The value of pulse pressure and stroke volume variation as predictors of fluid responsiveness during open chest
P A H Wyffels1, P Sergeant, P F Wouters
1Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. Piet.Wyffels@UGent.be
Summary:
We investigated the ability of pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation to predict fluid responsiveness during mechanical ventilation in patients undergoing open chest surgery by comparing their respective correlations with cardiac output changes induced by leg elevation. Serial leg elevation manoeuvres were performed before and after sternotomy in 15 patients scheduled for elective off-pump coronary bypass surgery. Under closed chest conditions, both pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation correlated well with the induced cardiac output changes (r = 0.856, p = 0.002 and r = 0.897, p = 0.0012, respectively). These correlations were lost for both parameters following sternotomy. Our data show that pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation are valid predictors of fluid responsiveness under closed chest conditions but that this property no longer holds when the chest is open.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
Cardiac Output II: Effect of Stroke Volume on Cardiac Output
Preload
Preload refers to the initial elongation of the cardiac myocytes before contraction and is related to the volume of blood filling the heart at the end of diastole, or end-diastolic volume. The...
Pulse
Pulse Rate and its Significance
Pulse rate, often measured in beats per minute (bpm), reflects the heart rate (HR), which is influenced by numerous factors such as stress, physical activity, and hormonal changes. A normal resting adult pulse rate falls between...
Pulse
The pulse serves as a clinical indicator...
Cardiac Output and Stroke Volume
In an average resting adult male, the typical cardiac output averages...
Measurement of Blood Pressure
