Extravascular lung water volume in critically ill patients

Extravascular thermal lung water volume (EVTV) was measured uding the double indicator dilution technique in 82 critically ill patients who required artifical ventilation, but had no cardiac dysfunction. Relationship between EVTV and portable chest X-ray findeings, circulatory or respiratory variables were eamind. At the time of EVTV measurement, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) was below 18 mmHg and cardiac index (CI) above 2.2 1/min/m^2. In individual cases, the first EVTV measurement was done within 2 days after admission to ICU and the second 1 day later. EVTV ranged from 4 to 29 (11.9 ± 0.7