The use of echocardiographic indices in defining and assessing right ventricular systolic function in critical care research.

Many echocardiographic indices (or methods) for assessing right ventricular (RV) function are available, but each has its strengths and limitations. In some cases, there might be discordance between the indices. We conducted a systematic review to audit the echocardiographic RV assessments in critical care research to see if a consistent pattern existed. We specifically looked into the kind and number of RV indices used, and how RV dysfunction was defined in each study.