Trendelenburg position and oxygen transport in hypovolemic adults

Study objective: To evaluate the effect of the Trendelenburg position on oxygen transport in hypovolemic patients. Design: A prospective, self-controlled sequential design. Interventions: All patients had indwelling pulmonary artery catheters, and hypovolemia was confirmed by a pulmonary artery wedge pressure of 6 mm Hg or less. Hemodynamic and oxygen transport variables were measured with the patient supine and again ten minutes after placing the patient in the Trendelenburg position. Setting: University-affiliated tertiary care surgical ICU. Type of participants: Eight postoperative adults. Results: Mean arterial blood pressure increased from 64.9±4.9 to 75.6±3.5 mm Hg (P