Noninvasive assessment of right and left ventricular function in acute and chronic respiratory failure

This review evaluates noninvasive techniques for assessing cardiovascular performance in acute and chronic respiratory failure. Radiographic, radionuclide, and echocardiographic methods for determining ventricular volumes, right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) ejection fractions, and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) are emphasized. These methods include plain chest radiography, radionuclide angiocardiography, thallium-201 myocardial imaging, and M mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography, which have recently been applied in patients to detect pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), right ventricular enlargement, and occult ventricular performance abnormalities at rest or exercise. Moreover, radionuclide angiocardiography has proven useful in combination with hemodynamic measurements, for evaluating the short-and long-term cardiovascular effects of therapeutic agents, such as oxygen, digitalis, theophylline, beta-adrenergic agents, and vasodilators.