Contemporary Review of Hemodynamic Monitoring in the Critical Care Setting

Hemodynamic assessment remains the most valuable adjunct to physical examination and laboratory assessment in the diagnosis and management of shock. Through the years, multiple modalities to measure and trend hemodynamic indices have evolved with varying degrees of invasiveness. Pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) has long been considered the gold standard of hemodynamic assessment in critically ill patients and in recent years has been shown to improve clinical outcomes among patients in cardiogenic shock. The invasive nature of PAC is often cited as its major limitation and has encouraged development of less invasive technologies. In this review, the authors summarize the literature on the mechanism and validation of several minimally invasive and noninvasive modalities available in the contemporary intensive care unit. They also provide an update on the use of focused bedside echocardiography

Sodium restriction improves nocturia in patients at a cardiology clinic

This study aims to determine whether dietary sodium restriction counseling decreases nocturnal voiding frequency in cardiology patients with concomitant nocturia. Patients who had established care at a cardiology clinic from 2015 to 2018 reporting >= 1 average nocturnal void(s) underwent a comprehensive sodium intake interview by their cardiologist, who provided them with individualized strategies for dietary sodium reduction and assessed adherence at follow-up. Average nocturnal voiding frequency and dietary adherence were documented in the medical record. A nocturia database was compiled for retrospective analysis. A total of 74 patients were included. Patients considered to be adherent with dietary sodium restriction at follow-up (n = 56) demonstrated a decrease in median nocturia frequency (2.5 [2.3-3.0] vs 1.0 [1.0-2.0] voids, P < .001). Among nonadherent patients (n = 18), median nocturia frequency did not significantly change from baseline to follow-up (2.0 [1.5-3.8] vs 2.0 [1.5-4.8] voids, P = .423). Median changes were significantly different between the adherent and nonadherent groups (P < .001). Examination of second follow-up available from 37 patients showed a continued effect. In conclusion, adherence with dietary sodium counseling appears to improve nocturia. Accordingly, dietary modification may represent an important adjunct therapy to lifestyle and pharmacologic interventions for decreasing nocturia frequency. Reduction in nocturnal voiding frequency may also reflect an additional benefit of dietary sodium restriction in accordance with best practice standards for cardiovascular disease