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Updated: Jun 5, 2025
Cardiac Pressure-Volume Loop Analysis Using Conductance Catheters in Mice
Published on: September 17, 2015
Introduction of a Vendor-Independent Application for Clinical Generation of Pressure-Volume Loops from Routine
Michael Vandenheuvel1, Stefaan Bouchez2, Jakob Labus3
1Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
Objectives:
In the dynamic perioperative setting, changing fluid states complicate determination of ventricular function. This study evaluated the feasibility of clinical ventricular pressure-volume loop (PVL) construction using routine monitoring (echocardiography and invasive pressure monitoring). An application was developed and tested with biventricular simulated data and right ventricular (RV) clinical data.
Design:
Prospective observational study.
Setting:
Single center, university teaching hospital.
Participants:
Adults requiring cardiac surgery.
Interventions:
After code development, a simulated dataset (Harvi simulator) was used to test the application. Next, RV data from 12 consenting adult elective cardiac surgery patients were analyzed in 4 distinct physiologic settings, comparing supine baseline condition with a passive leg raise setting, during maintained elevated positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), and after chest wall opening.
Measurements And Main Results:
Overall PVL feasibility combining 3 acquisitions was 97.6%. Derived PVL parameters followed expected patterns: during leg raise, end-diastolic volume (+36 ± 23%; p = 0.0054) and stroke volume (+32 ± 27%; p = 0.017) augmented with stable heart rate (HR), resulting in a trend toward increased cardiac output (+34 ± 33%; p = 0.06). PEEP resulted in a marked increase in arterial elastance (+126 ± 80%; p = 0.0000068) compared to the other conditions. Chest opening resulted in minor effects.
Conclusions:
This study introduces a vendor-independent application to generate PVLs from routinely available clinical data. The results highlight the potential application of the pressure-volume framework in cardiovascular research and patient care. A lack of external validation must be taken into account. Further research is warranted to validate the application. The app can be accessed at https://michael-vandenheuvel.shinyapps.io/eMv_Looper/.
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