Right ventricular function and oxygen transport patterns in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

We investigated the impact of right ventricular performance on oxygen kinetics in 15 consecutive patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Six hundred and twenty-two complete assessments of haemodynamics, right ventricular function and oxygenation were used for evaluation. Patients were grouped as survivors (n = 8) and nonsurvivors (n = 7) and studied during four phases of lung failure. Oxygen delivery and consumption were significantly higher in survivors compared to nonsurvivors despite comparable arterial oxygen saturation. Right ventricular end-diastolic volumes were similar for both groups, while end-systolic volumes were significantly higher in nonsurvivors due to depressed ejection fraction (40.5 (SD 1.2) versus 34.4 (SD 2.8)%) during all phases of lung failure. No clinically relevant differences in right ventricular function or oxygenation were observed between periods of moderate or severe pulmonary hypertension. Nonsurvivors have depressed cardiac function caused by reduced contractility and not by inadequate right ventricular end-diastolic volume (preload) or increased pulmonary artery pressure (afterload). Maintenance of oxygen delivery in ARDS is predominantly a function of cardiac performance and not of pulmonary gas exchange.