Respiratory failure & ventilation
Does the thoracic fluid content reflect lung water and cardiac preload?
Authors' conclusion
In critically ill patients, TFC measured by bioimpedance does not follow the changes induced by a fluid bolus of well-known markers of cardiac preload. It also does not follow the changes in EVLWI observed in patients with ARDS. While absolute values of TFC are weakly correlated with those of EVLWI, it is determined neither by GEDVI, nor by the sum of both.
Study context
- Population
- Critically ill patients with a transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) device (PiCCO2), and patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)208 measurements
- Participants
- 42 vs 23
- Exposure
- Fluid vs ARDS
- Fluidn = 42
- ARDSn = 23
- Outcome
- Relationship of TFC with cardiac preload markers and EVLWI
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Fluid group: no correlation between fluid-induced changes in global end-diastolic volume indexed (GEDVI) and in thoracic fluid content (TFC)
- p = 0.71
- Fluid group: no correlation between fluid-induced changes in central venous pressure (CVP) and in TFC
- p = 0.09
- ARDS group: no correlation between % changes in GEDVI and % changes in TFC
- p = 0.52
- ARDS group: no correlation between % changes in extravascular lung water indexed (EVLWI) and % changes in TFC
- p = 0.40
- ARDS group: no correlation between % changes in GEDVI + EVLWI and % changes in TFC
- p = 0.55
- All measurements: absolute EVLWI correlated with absolute TFC
- r = 0.21, p = 0.04
- All measurements: no correlation between absolute GEDVI and TFC
- p = 0.33
- All measurements: no correlation between absolute GEDVI + EVLWI and TFC
- p = 0.39
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Percentage of error of cardiac index by bioreactance vs TPTD (all measurements)
- Percentage of error
- 131%
Original publication
Does the thoracic fluid content reflect lung water and cardiac preload? J Clin Monit Comput. Published 23 August 2025. doi:10.
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