Title: End-Expiratory Occlusion Test<br/>Author: Michael Winters<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/141/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
<strong><u>End-expiratory Occlusion Test</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
Volume expansion is a cornerstone of resuscitation for circulatory failure.</li>
<li>
As discussed in previous pearls, only 50% of unstable critically ill patients respond to fluid therapy. For the 50% that don't respond, additional fluids may increase morbidity and mortality.</li>
<li>
In recent years, there has been tremendous focus on dynamic markers of fluid responsiveness, including respirophasic changes in IVC diameter, passive leg raising, and pulse pressure variation (PPV).</li>
<li>
An additional dynamic marker of fluid responsiveness is the end-expiratory occlusion test.</li>
<li>
Unlike PPV, this test can be performed on patients with spontaneous breathing activity and those with cardiac arrhythmias.</li>
<li>
Recent literature indicates that a 5% increase in cardiac output during a 15-second end-expiratory occlusion test predicts a positive response to a 500 ml saline infusion.</li>
</ul>
<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
<p>
Monnet X, Teboul JL. Assessment of volume responsiveness during mechanical ventilation: recent advances. <em>Critical Care</em> 2013; 17:217.</p>
</fieldset>