Search Results (3)

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) with concomitant venous and arterial Doppler assessment enables clinicians to assess organ-specific blood supply. To date, no studies have investigated the usefulness of including a comprehensive perioperative POCUS assessment of patients undergoing major laparoscopic surgery. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the combined venous and arterial renal flow evaluation, measured at different time points of perioperative period, may represent a clinically useful non-invasive method to predict postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) after major laparoscopic urologic surgery. The secondary outcome was represented by the development of any postoperative complication at day 7. We included 173 patients, subsequently divided for analysis depending on whether they did (n = 55) or did not (n = 118) develop postoperative AKI or any complications within the first 7 days. The main results of the present study were that: (1) the combination of arterial hypoperfusion and moderate-to-severe venous congestion inferred by POCUS were associated with worst outcomes (respectively, HR: 2.993, 95% CI: 1.522–5.884 and HR: 8.124, 95% CI: 3.542–18, p < 0.001); (2) high intra-operative abdominal pressure represents the only independent determinant of postoperative severe venous congestion (OR: 1.354, 95% CI: 1.017–1.804, p = 0.038); (3) the overall number of complications relies on the balance between arterial inflow and venous outflow in order to ensure the adequacy of peripheral perfusion; and (4) the overall reliability of splanchnic perfusion assessment by Doppler is high with a strong inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.844, 95% CI: 0.792–0.844). The concomitant assessment of arterial and venous Doppler patterns predicts postoperative complications after major laparoscopic urologic surgery and may be considered a useful ultrasonographic biomarker to stratify vulnerable patients at risk for development of postoperative complications. Full article

The correct determination of volume status is a fundamental component of clinical evaluation as both hypovolaemia (with hypoperfusion) and hypervolaemia (with fluid overload) increase morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. As inferior vena cava (IVC) accounts for two-thirds of systemic venous return, it has been proposed as a marker of volaemic status by indirect assessment of central venous pressure or fluid responsiveness. Although ultrasonographic evaluation of IVC is relatively easy to perform, correct interpretation of the results may not be that simple and multiple pitfalls hamper its wider application in the clinical setting. In the present review, the basic elements of the pathophysiology of IVC behaviour, potential applications and limitations of its evaluation are discussed. Full article

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) and is frequently associated with poorer outcomes. Hence, if an indicator is available for predicting severe AKI within the first few hours of admission, management strategies can be put into place to improve outcomes. Materials and methods: This was a prospective, observational study, involving 63 critically ill patients, that aimed to explore the diagnostic accuracy of different Doppler parameters in predicting AKI in critically ill patients from a mixed ICU. Participants were enrolled at ICU admission. All underwent ultrasonographic examinations and hemodynamic assessment. Renal Doppler resistive index (RDRI), venous impedance index (VII), arterial systolic time intervals (a-STI), and venous systolic time intervals (v-STI) were measured within 2 h from ICU admission. Results: Cox proportional hazards models, including a-STI, v-STI, VII, and RDRI as independent variables, returned a-STI as the only putative predictor for the development of AKI or severe AKI. An overall statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was observed in the Kaplan–Meier plots for cumulative AKI events between patients with a-STI higher or equal than 0.37 and for cumulative severe AKI-3 between patients with a-STI higher or equal than 0.63. As assessed by the area under the receiver operating curves (ROC) curves, a-STI performed best in diagnosing any AKI and/or severe AKI-3. Positive correlations were found between a-STI and the N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-pro BNP) (ρ = 0.442, p < 0.001), the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (ρ: 0.361, p = 0.004), and baseline serum creatinine (ρ: 0.529, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Critically ill patients who developed AKI had statistically significant different a-STI (on admission to ICU), v-STI, and VII than those who did not. Moreover, a-STI was associated with the development of AKI at day 5 and provided the best diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of any AKI or severe AKI compared with RDRI, VII, and v-STI. Full article