Luke J. Duncan, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Giving a fluid bolus is the knee jerk reaction of most emergency physicians to a hypotensive patient, but will the patient actually benefit from that intervention? What about with the second, third or fourth bolus? Assessing fluid responsiveness is one of the more nuanced skills to teach budding residents, junior critical care fellows, and can be intimidating for even the most experienced of practitioners. This lecture introduces a practical approach combining bedside hemodynamic assessment, point-of-care ultrasound examination, and utilization of advanced hemodynamic assessments (like pulse-pressure variability, fluid challenge, and passive leg raise test) and discusses the limitations and challenges of each.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the definition of fluid responsiveness.
Discuss the limitations and benefits of a bedside POCUS fluid responsiveness examination.
Demonstrate a practical approach to assessing fluid responsiveness at the bedside.
