Key result
Prehospital ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring yields interpretable values in 70% of patients with circulatory distress.
Why the study?
The potential benefits of ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring in emergency medicine require evaluation of its feasibility in a prehospital setting.
Is ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) feasible for estimating cardiac output in patients with circulatory distress in the prehospital setting?
Observational (n=50)
Is ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) feasible for estimating cardiac output in patients with circulatory distress in the prehospital setting?
Ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring is feasible in the prehospital setting for patients with circulatory distress, though dyspnea significantly reduces the success rate of obtaining interpretable values.
May support prehospital USCOM feasibility in circulatory distress; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective trials before clinical adoption.
The possible benefits of ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) in emergency medicine practice could be significant if evaluated in a goal-directed protocol. The aim of this study was to perform a feasibility study in a physician-staffed prehospital emergency medicine system. This study enrolled a convenient sample of 50 patients with circulatory distress. Main criteria were visualization of acceptable curves and obtaining interpretable values. Acceptable curves and interpretable values (main criterion) were obtained for 35 patients (70%). In case of failure, the patient was very often dyspneic (80 vs. 23%, when the technique was successful, P<0.001). Mean duration of USCOM examination was 105 ± 60 s. The acceptable success rate for a new technique we observed and the high easy-to-use score suggests that the use of USCOM is feasible in prehospital emergency medicine.
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Duchâteau et al. (2011) conducted an observational in circulatory distress (n=50). Ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) was evaluated on visualization of acceptable curves and obtaining interpretable values. Ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring was feasible in the prehospital setting, yielding acceptable curves and interpretable values in 70% of patients with circulatory distress.
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