Who First Published the Passive Leg Raise Test
The provided evidence does not identify the original discoverer or first publication of the passive leg raise (PLR) test. The earliest research study included in this evidence base dates to 2006, when Monnet et al. published a prospective study in Critical Care Medicine demonstrating that PLR-induced changes in aortic blood flow could predict fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients 1. However, this 2006 publication clearly describes PLR as an established technique being investigated for a specific application, not as a novel discovery.
Historical Context from Available Evidence
The 2006 Critical Care Medicine study by Monnet et al. represents the earliest detailed investigation of PLR for predicting fluid responsiveness in the provided literature, but explicitly refers to PLR as a pre-existing "self-volume challenge" rather than introducing it as a new concept 1.
Key Points About PLR's Clinical Evolution
By 2015, the International Consensus on First Aid Science was already reviewing multiple observational studies from earlier years examining PLR at various angles (60°, 45°) and durations (20 seconds to 7 minutes) in normotensive subjects, indicating the test had been under investigation for some time 2.
The 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis in Critical Care Medicine analyzed 23 clinical trials totaling 1,013 patients, demonstrating that by this time PLR had become a well-established technique with extensive validation across multiple clinical settings 3.
Current guidelines from 2019-2026 reference PLR as a standard bedside assessment tool with well-defined diagnostic thresholds and performance characteristics, but none cite the original discoverer 2, 4, 5.
What the Evidence Does Establish
The physiological mechanism of PLR—mobilizing approximately 300 mL of blood from the lower extremities and splanchnic circulation to create a reversible preload challenge—has been consistently described across multiple sources, but without attribution to an original investigator 4, 5, 6.
Diagnostic Performance Established by 2016
The meta-analysis demonstrated pooled sensitivity of 86% (95% CI, 79-92%) and specificity of 92% (95% CI, 88-96%) for predicting fluid responsiveness 3.
A positive likelihood ratio of 11 (95% CI, 7.6-17) was established across 2,260 patients in the British Journal of Anaesthesia meta-analysis 2.
To identify the original discoverer or first publication of the passive leg raise test, you would need to search medical literature predating 2006, likely in the fields of cardiovascular physiology, shock resuscitation, or critical care medicine from the 1970s-1990s, as the technique was already well-established by the time of the earliest studies provided in this evidence base.