Abstrakt
A haemodynamic assessment of critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure is important because of the association between circulatory instability, mortality, and morbidity. Regardless of the primary cause of respiratory failure, many patients are haemodynamically unstable.
For example, 90% of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) of any severity demonstrate cardiovascular failure on intensive care unit (ICU) admission, irrespective of aetiology.