Simple Intensive Care Studies II

Critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently suffer from circulatory shock or respiratory distress, with high morbidity and mortality up to 40%. After initial fluid resuscitation other complications associated with either treatment or disease may arise. A consequence of treatment might be fluid overload or overfilling. Multiple studies have shown the possible negative effects of - too much - fluid administration, such as venous congestion. Venous congestion entails venous fluid overload, manifested by for example an increased central venous pressure (CVP) or peripheral oedema. This venous congestion may contribute to the occurrence of short-term organ failure by causing a high ''afterload'' in the venous tracts of organs. There is no consensus on how to measure venous congestion. It is important to identify variables that reflect the development of venous congestion in order to investigate whether venous congestion is associated with short-term organ failure. Variables that indicate venous congestion may be obtained with clinical examination and biochemical analyses, supplemented by hemodynamic variables derived from critical care ultrasonography (CCUS) with information about organ perfusion, and both arterial and venous function. The development of short-term organ failure can be assessed by collecting clinical, biochemical and hemodynamic variables at multiple moments. Using repeated measurements is likely to add dynamic information about the diagnostic and prognostic value of these variables. The dynamics of variables, in any direction, over time might improve the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of clinical, biochemical and hemodynamic variables that can be collected at the beside of the critically ill patient. Aim and hypotheses This study aims to investigate the association between dynamic variables that reflect venous congestion and the development of short-term organ failure and mortality in the critically ill. The