Impaired right ventricular ejection fraction after cardiac surgery is associated with a complicated ICU stay

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a known risk factor for increased mortality in cardiac surgery. However, the association between RV performance and ICU morbidity is largely unknown. METHODS: We performed a single-centre, retrospective study including cardiac surgery patients equipped with a pulmonary artery catheter, enabling continuous right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) measurements. Primary endpoint of our study was ICU morbidity (as determined by ICU length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, usage of inotropic drugs and fluids, and kidney dysfunction) in relation to RVEF. Patients were divided into three groups according to their RVEF; < 20%, 20–30%, and > 30%. RESULTS: We included 1109 patients. Patients with a RVEF < 20% had a significantly longer stay in ICU, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation, higher fluid balance, a higher incidence of inotropic drug usage, and more increase in postoperative creatinine levels in comparison to the other subgroups. In a multivariate analysis, RVEF was independently associated with increased ICU length of stay (OR 0.934 CI 0.908–0.961, p < 0.001), prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation (OR 0.969, CI 0.942–0.998, p = 0.033), usage of inotropic drugs (OR 0.944, CI 0.917–0.971, p < 0.001), and increase in creatinine (OR 0.962, CI 0.934–0.991, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: A decreased RVEF is independently associated with a complicated ICU stay. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40560-018-0351-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.