Functional hemodynamic monitoring is the assessment of the dynamic interactions of hemodynamic variables in response to a defined perturbation. Dynamic tissue O2 saturation (StO2) responses to complete stop flow conditions (vascular occlusion test), which can be created by measuring hand StO2 and occluding flow with a blood pressure cuff, assesses cardiovascular sufficiency and microcirculatory blood flow distribution. Recent interest in functional hemodynamic monitoring for the bedside assessment of cardiovascular insufficiency has heightened with the documentation of its accuracy in predicting volume responsiveness using a wide variety of monitoring devices both invasive and non-invasive and across multiple patient groups and clinical conditions. Accordingly, fluid responsiveness can be predicted in a quantities fashion by measuring as arterial pulse pressure variation, left ventricular stroke volume variation or their surrogates during positive pressure breathing or the change in cardiac output response to a passive leg raising maneuver. However, volume responsiveness, though important, reflects only part of the overall spectrum of functional physiological variables that can be measured to define physiologic state and monitor response to therapy.