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Applied Physiology in Intensive Care Medicine 2 pp 51–54Cite as

Ultrasonographic examination of the venae cavae

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Abstract

There are two venae cavae in humans. The superior vena cava (SVC) comprises the connection of the left and right brachiocephalic veins and ends on the top of the right atrium, after entering the pericardium. The inferior vena cava (IVC) comprises the connection of the left and right iliac veins and ends on the floor of right atrium, after crossing the diaphragm. Whereas the SVC is an intrathoracic vessel, the IVC is an intraabdominal one, its short intrathoracic part being purely virtual. Both venae cavae provide venous return to the right heart, approx. 25% via the SVC and 75% via IVC [1, 2].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hôpital Ambroise Paré service de Réanimation Médicale, Boulogne, France

    François Jardin

  2. Intensive Care Unit Assistance Publique des Hô pitaux de Paris, University Hospital Ambroise Paré, Avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, Boulogne, France

    Antoine Vieillard-Baron

  3. Faculté de Paris Ile-de-France Ouest, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France

    Antoine Vieillard-Baron

Authors
  1. François Jardin
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  2. Antoine Vieillard-Baron
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Scaife Hall 606 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA

    Michael R. Pinsky MD

  2. Dept. Intensive Care Medicine, Hôpital Henri Mondor, 51 av. Maréchal Lattre de Tassigny, 94010, Créteil, CX, France

    Laurent Brochard MD

  3. Dept. Intensive Care Medicine, Hospital de Sant Pau, Avda. S. Antonio M. Claret 167, 08025, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Mancebo MD

  4. General Intensive Care Unit, Università Cattolica des Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Massimo Antonelli

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Jardin, F., Vieillard-Baron, A. (2012). Ultrasonographic examination of the venae cavae. In: Pinsky, M.R., Brochard, L., Mancebo, J., Antonelli, M. (eds) Applied Physiology in Intensive Care Medicine 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28233-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28233-1_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28232-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28233-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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