SVV may help to determine the preload condition of ventilated patients following cardiac surgery and to predict and continuously monitor effects of volume administered as part of their hemodynamic management.

Continuous and real-time monitoring of stroke volume variation by pulse contour analysis can predict volume responsiveness and allows real-time assessment of the hemodynamic effect of volume expansion in patients with reduced left ventricular function after cardiac surgery.

Guiding therapy by an algorithm based on GEDVI leads to a shortened and reduced need for vasopressors, catecholamines, mechanical ventilation, and ICU therapy in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Femoral artery pulse contour CO correlates well with both COpa and COa even during substantial variations in vascular tone and hemodynamics. Additionally, CO determined by arterial thermodilution correlates well with COpa. Thus, COa can be used to calibrate COpc.

In addition to intravascular volume status SVV is affected by the depth of tidal volume under mechanical ventilation. This influence must be regarded when using SVV for functional preload monitoring.