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Starling curves and central venous pressure

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Abstract

Recent studies challenge the utility of central venous pressure monitoring as a surrogate for cardiac preload. Starting with Starling’s original studies on the regulation of cardiac output, this review traces the history of the experiments that elucidated the role of central venous pressure in circulatory physiology. Central venous pressure is an important physiologic parameter, but it is not an independent variable that determines cardiac output.

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Abbreviations

CVP:

Central venous pressure

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    David A Berlin

  2. Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, PO Box 2040 – Room H 625, Rotterdam, 3000 CA, the Netherlands

    Jan Bakker

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  1. David A Berlin
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  2. Jan Bakker
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Correspondence to David A Berlin.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Berlin, D.A., Bakker, J. Starling curves and central venous pressure. Crit Care 19, 55 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-015-0776-1

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