Right and left ventricular performance in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

We examined biventricular performance on two occasions in 28 patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (ARF), using a combination of invasively determined pressures and flows as well as radionuclide scintigraphy to measure the right and left ventricular ejection fractions (RVEF and LVEF, respectively). From the EF and concurrently measured thermodilution stroke volumes, we calculated right and left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indices (EDVI and ESVI, respectively). Regression analysis demonstrated that changes (delta) in global right ventricular function (RVEF) were inversely correlated with concurrent changes in the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP): delta RVEF = 0.015-0.015 delta MPAP (r2 = 0.60; p less than .005), while an increase in right ventricular preload (RVEDVI) was positively correlated with changes in MPAP: delta RVEDVI = 2.68 +/- 6.27 delta MPAP (r2 = 0.46; p less than .005). Global left ventricular function (LVEF) was related to changes in systemic pressures as well as to right-sided events: delta LVEF = -0.01-0.0015(delta RVESVI) + 0.001(delta BP systolic)-0.42(CVP/RVEDVI) (r2 = 0.35; p less than .01). These data confirm the significant influence of right ventricular afterload on RVEF in ARF patients and an apparent interrelationship between altered right ventricular systolic function and global left ventricular performance.