Prediction of fluid responsiveness in intensive care (PREFERENCE study): fluid challenge versus passive leg raising in high-risk surgical patients

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver could be used to predict fluid responsiveness in awake postoperative patients admitted to the ICU. PLR has been demonstrated to be a good indicator of fluid responsiveness even in spontaneously breathing patients, but few data are available in the immediate postoperative period. Nexfin is a new cardiac output monitor that measures and tracks stroke volume (SV) by analyzing the arterial pressure pulse contour noninvasively from a finger probe.