Fluid responsiveness in the postoperative period: A prospective study in non-critically ill patients

Objectives: The incidence of Fluid Responsiveness (FR) in non-critically ill surgical patients and the proportion of patients in whom Stroke Volume (SV) significantly increases after a bolus of intravenous fluids (Volume Expansion,VE) are unknown after surgery. Although being Fluid Responder (FRer) does not necessarily imply being hypovolemic, it remains to be determined whether postoperative FR is associated with complications. This prospective study aims to determine 1) the incidence of FR in postoperative patients, 2) if postoperative FR is associated with and predicts 30-day complications, 3) the proportion of patients in whom SV significantly increases after VE.