Intraoperative TTE inferior vena cava monitoring in elderly orthopaedic patients with cardiac disease and spinal-induced hypotension

Objective To address the role of transthoracic echocardiography in inferior vena cava (IVC) monitoring in the management of haemodynamically unstable elderly patients subjected to lower limb orthopaedic surgery under spinal anesthesia. Possible implications in the postoperative care unit (PACU) length of stay (LOS) are investigated. Methods 41 elderly patients with cardiac diseases were recruited. Patients experiencing intraoperative haemodynamic instability (diastolic blood pressure ≤ 60 mmHg) were divided into two groups according to right atrial pressure (RAP), (RAP