[Intensive care treatment of cardiac surgery patients: focus on hemodynamics]

Hemodynamic treatment is a core task in the intensive medical care of cardiac surgery patients. The patient's underlying disease, the type of surgical procedure and the patient's individual characteristics play key roles in the selection of the treatment regimen. The basis of any targeted hemodynamic treatment is the differential diagnosis of the underlying pathological disorder. The established basic monitoring can be expanded if necessary. Postoperative circulatory dysfunction can occur as low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) predominantly with left or right heart failure or as vasoplegic syndrome (VS). In addition to catecholamines in the narrow sense, various vasoactive and inotropic substances are available for treatment. Knowledge of the recommended target parameters and indication-appropriate monitoring are essential. This article summarizes the current guideline recommendations for the treatment of postoperative circulatory dysfunction.