Purpose: We analyzed the efficacy of a point-of-care ultrasonographic protocol, based on a focused multiorgan examination, for the diagnostic process of symptomatic, non-traumatic hypotensive patients in the emergency department. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 108 adult patients complaining of non-traumatic symptomatic hypotension of uncertain etiology. Patients received immediate point-of-care ultrasonography to determine cardiac function and right/left ventricle diameter rate, inferior vena cava diameter and collapsibility, pulmonary congestion, consolidations and sliding, abdominal free fluid and aortic aneurysm, and leg vein thrombosis. The organ-oriented diagnoses were combined to formulate an ultrasonographic hypothesis of the cause of hemodynamic instability. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was then compared with a final clinical diagnosis obtained by agreement of three independent expert physicians who performed a retrospective hospital chart review of each case. Results: Considering the whole population, concordance between the point-of-care ultrasonography diagnosis and the final clinical diagnosis was interpreted as good, with Cohen’s k = 0.710 (95 % CI, 0.614–0.806), p\0.0001 and raw agreement (Ra) = 0.768. By eliminating the 13 cases where the final clinical diagnosis was not agreed upon (indefinite), the concordance increased to almost perfect, with k = 0.971 (95 % CI, 0.932–1.000), p\0.0001 and Ra = 0.978. Conclusions: Emergency diagnostic judgments guided by point-of-care multiorgan ultrasonography in patients presenting with undifferentiated hypotension significantly agreed with a final clinical diagnosis obtained by retrospective chart review. The integration of an ultrasonographic multiorgan protocol in the diagnostic process of undifferentiated hypotension has great potential in guiding the first-line therapeutic approach.
Point-of-care multiorgan ultrasonography for the evaluation of undifferentiated hypotension in the emergency department
GIRAUDO, Maria Teresa;
2013-01-01
Abstract
Purpose: We analyzed the efficacy of a point-of-care ultrasonographic protocol, based on a focused multiorgan examination, for the diagnostic process of symptomatic, non-traumatic hypotensive patients in the emergency department. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 108 adult patients complaining of non-traumatic symptomatic hypotension of uncertain etiology. Patients received immediate point-of-care ultrasonography to determine cardiac function and right/left ventricle diameter rate, inferior vena cava diameter and collapsibility, pulmonary congestion, consolidations and sliding, abdominal free fluid and aortic aneurysm, and leg vein thrombosis. The organ-oriented diagnoses were combined to formulate an ultrasonographic hypothesis of the cause of hemodynamic instability. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was then compared with a final clinical diagnosis obtained by agreement of three independent expert physicians who performed a retrospective hospital chart review of each case. Results: Considering the whole population, concordance between the point-of-care ultrasonography diagnosis and the final clinical diagnosis was interpreted as good, with Cohen’s k = 0.710 (95 % CI, 0.614–0.806), p\0.0001 and raw agreement (Ra) = 0.768. By eliminating the 13 cases where the final clinical diagnosis was not agreed upon (indefinite), the concordance increased to almost perfect, with k = 0.971 (95 % CI, 0.932–1.000), p\0.0001 and Ra = 0.978. Conclusions: Emergency diagnostic judgments guided by point-of-care multiorgan ultrasonography in patients presenting with undifferentiated hypotension significantly agreed with a final clinical diagnosis obtained by retrospective chart review. The integration of an ultrasonographic multiorgan protocol in the diagnostic process of undifferentiated hypotension has great potential in guiding the first-line therapeutic approach.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Hypotension.pdf
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ICM_13_Undifferentiated hypotension.pdf
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