The right ventricle is often overlooked in critical care in favour of the attention to the left side of the heart. But acute right heart failure is important and today on the podcast we discuss its implications for critical care.
Chemla et al. Haemodynamic evaluation of pulmonary hypertension, 2002
Haddad, et al. Right Ventricular Function in Cardiovascular Disease, 2008
Mebazza, et al. Acute right ventricular failure - from pathophysiology to new treatments, 2004
Jardin, et al. Monitoring of right‐sided heart function, 2005
McLean, et al. Hemodynamics of Acute Right Heart Failure in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, 2015
Tom, one of my colleagues from the Critical Care Outreach Team and I discuss this paper and its findings reaching our own conclusions. Deferring Arterial Catheterisation in Patients with Septic Shock.
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We return to our 48-year-old patient: jaundiced, hypotensive, drowsy, and bleeding. In decompensated cirrhosis, every treatment targets a disrupted system — splanchnic vasodilation, portal hypertension, toxin accumulation, and renal hypoperfusion.Although these patients look fluid overloaded, they are effectively hypovolaemic. Start with small aliquots of balanced crystalloid, avoiding 0.9% saline. In hepatorenal syndrome or tense ascites, 20% albumin is
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In this episode, I walk through the real-world critical care management of acute decompensated alcohol-related liver disease, using a high-risk ICU case to anchor the discussion. The focus is on understanding the underlying physiology—portal hypertension, rebalanced haemostasis, hepatic encephalopathy, infection, and hepatorenal syndrome—and translating that physiology into clear first-hour priorities at the bedside. Listeners are
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