Femoral Venous Pulsatility and Right Heart Dysfunction in Heart Surgery: An Observational Study

Right heart failure during cardiac surgery is associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. In this context, it is imperative to develop simple diagnostic tools to detect right heart failure. The purpose of this observational study is to determine if ultrasound Doppler of the femoral vein can detect and predict right ventricular failure after cardiac surgeries requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. It is expected that an elevated pulsatility of the femoral vein before the induction of general anesthesia is associated with perioperative right heart failure.