Feasibility of the Venous Excess in Ultrasound Score and its correlation with elevated CVP and RAP in Pediatric CVICU patients

M
Michael David Lintner-Rivera

Primary Investigator

Enrolling By Invitation
17 years or below
All
Phase N/A
10 participants needed
1 Location

Brief description of study

What is the purpose of this study?

There is extremely limited knowledge of the applicability of VEXUS in critically ill children. VExUS was recently evaluated in a cohort of pediatric ICU patients and was found to correlate well with CVP measurements. (11) To date, there have been no studies determining the utility of VExUS in a pediatric cardiac ICU population, where fluid overload is common, and its accurate assessment remains a challenge. The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of VExUS in the pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit and determine its correlation with accepted measures of venous congestion, right atrial pressure and / or central venous pressure.

THIS STUDY IS ENROLLING BY INVITATION ONLY - This study is enrolling pediatric cardiovascular ICU patients identified from routine screening of the CVICU or surgery schedules.

Detailed description of study

What will happen during the study?

  • We will include pediatric patients admitted post-operatively with a right atrial catheter or a central venous catheter able to measure CVP.
  • The study procedure will consist of a brief abdominal ultrasound following the VExUS protocol. This will include measurement of IVC and aorta diameters, determination of the respirophasic variability of the IVC, and evaluating venous doppler waveforms of the hepatic, portal, and renal veins. The expected duration of the exam is between 5 to 8 minutes.
  • The study will proceed in two phases. In phase one, we will collect data on our feasibility objectives, particularly focusing on establishing inter-rater reliability of our VExUS examinations.
  • Once an accepted level of reliability is established, we will proceed to phase two for our secondary and tertiary outcomes.

Eligibility of study

You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:

  • Conditions: Heart problem, Cardiovascular condition
  • Age: 17 years or below
  • Gender: All

Inclusion Criteria
• Post-operative pediatric CVICU patients with a CVC or a right-atrial catheter in situ up to <18 years old.

Exclusion Criteria
• Chronic liver disease.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Post-liver and/or kidney transplant patients
• Patients at risk of instability with examination

Updated on 29 May 2025. Study ID: PICU-IIR-VEXUS, 25564
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Interested in the study?

This study is accepting only persons who receive care at a certain clinic or doctor or who are part of an invited group. Questions about this study can be directed to the study team listed in the description or contact your doctor to see if you are eligible.

Accepting Referrals by Invitation Only