The failing heart under stress: echocardiography is an essential monitoring tool in the intensive care unit.

Echocardiography has been evolving to play a pivotal role in hemodynamic management, both intraoperatively and at the bedside. A full assessment of hemodynamics necessitates the use of all of the options available on modern echocardiographs. This introductory review provides insight into three important issues of hemodynamic monitoring by echocardiography: evaluation of preloading conditions, assessment of systolic function, and contractility and estimation of afterload. Mastering these three features will help in a minimally invasive approach of hemodynamic instability.