<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Especially in recent years, the use of point-of-care ultrasound by non-radiologist clinicians has become widespread. Point-of-care ultrasound provides rapid responses to the problems of critically ill patients at the bedside. This technique has many important advantages, including being non-invasive, cheap, repeatable, painless, and radiation-free. Numerous studies have revealed the most important clinical benefits of point-of-care ultrasound use by pediatric intensive care providers. The inferior vena cava is a vessel that is highly sensitive to fluid changes. The inferior vena cava diameter can be measured by a point-of-care ultrasound, and represents a critical parameter in assessing the patient’s fluid status. The inferior vena cava collapsibility index (in spontaneously breathing patients) and the inferior vena cava distensibility index (in mechanically ventilated patients) are calculated by determined formulas by using maximum and minimum diameters of the inferior vena cava. The indices are important guides for pediatric intensive care providers for managing their patients’ fluid treatment. Although some authors claim it is not a reliable method, the technique is coming to fore in intensive care units day by day, and has an increasing trend among pediatric intensive care specialists. Here, we aim to give detailed information on the ultrasonographic inferior vena cava diameter measurement methods, and calculations of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index and inferior vena cava distensibility index, and emphasize the importance of a noninvasive, bedside, and objective method of detecting the volume status of critically ill patients for pediatric intensive care specialists according to the published literature.</p>
</abstract>

Especially in recent years, the use of point-of-care ultrasound by non-radiologist clinicians has become widespread. Point-of-care ultrasound provides rapid responses to the problems of critically ill patients at the bedside. This technique has many important advantages, including being non-invasive, cheap, repeatable, painless, and radiation-free. Numerous studies have revealed the most important clinical benefits of point-of-care ultrasound use by pediatric intensive care providers. The inferior vena cava is a vessel that is highly sensitive to fluid changes. The inferior vena cava diameter can be measured by a point-of-care ultrasound, and represents a critical parameter in assessing the patient’s fluid status. The inferior vena cava collapsibility index (in spontaneously breathing patients) and the inferior vena cava distensibility index (in mechanically ventilated patients) are calculated by determined formulas by using maximum and minimum diameters of the inferior vena cava. The indices are important guides for pediatric intensive care providers for managing their patients’ fluid treatment. Although some authors claim it is not a reliable method, the technique is coming to fore in intensive care units day by day, and has an increasing trend among pediatric intensive care specialists. Here, we aim to give detailed information on the ultrasonographic inferior vena cava diameter measurement methods, and calculations of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index and inferior vena cava distensibility index, and emphasize the importance of a noninvasive, bedside, and objective method of detecting the volume status of critically ill patients for pediatric intensive care specialists according to the published literature.

Ultrasonographic inferior vena cava collapsibility and distensibility indices for detecting the volume status of critically ill pediatric patients

Journal of Ultrasonography

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Especially in recent years, the use of point-of-care ultrasound by non-radiologist clinicians has become widespread. Point-of-care ultrasound provides rapid...

	IVC collabsibility index	IVC distensibility index
Aim	Volume status assessment in spontaneously breathing patients	Volume status assessment in mechanically ventilated patients
Method	IVC images are acquired in the sagittal section.Images of the IVC draining into the right atrium are obtained while the probe is in the subxiphoid area and the liver is taken in the acoustic window.
Method	Minimum IVC diameter on inspiration and maximum IVC diameter on expiration are measured.	Maximum IVC diameter on inspiration and minimum IVC diameter on expiration are measured.
Formula	(Maximum diameter on expiration – minimum diameter on inspiration)Maximum diameter on expiration	Maximum diameter on inspiration – minimum diameter on expirationMinimum diameter on expiration
Benefits	Quick, non-invasive, easy, repeatable, trustworthy and objective method for volume status evaluation¹⁷
Question marks	There are no well-determined limits for the IVC collapsibility index and distensibility index in the pediatric age group in the published literature.Pediatric intensivists still use limitations described for adult patients for managing fluid therapy (for IVC collapsibility index >50%, for IVC distensibility index >18%).Further studies on large groups of critically ill pediatric patients could help to determine ultrasonographically measured pediatric IVC index limits
IVC: Inferior vena cava

Ultrasonographic inferior vena cava collapsibility and distensibility indices for detecting the volume status of critically ill pediatric patients

Article Category: research-article

Online veröffentlicht: 28. Sept. 2020

Seitenbereich: 205 - 209

Eingereicht: 25. Apr. 2019

Akzeptiert: 13. Juli 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2020.0034

Schlüsselwörter
inferior vena cava, pediatric, point-of-care ultrasound, volume status

© 2021 Polish Ultrasound Society. Published by Medical Communications Sp. z o.o.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

The aim, formulas, benefits and question marks for the IVC collapsibility index and the IVC distensibility index

Ultrasonographic inferior vena cava collapsibility and distensibility indices for detecting the volume status of critically ill pediatric patients

Article Category: research-article

Online veröffentlicht: 28. Sept. 2020

Seitenbereich: 205 - 209

Eingereicht: 25. Apr. 2019

Akzeptiert: 13. Juli 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2020.0034

Schlüsselwörterinferior vena cava, pediatric, point-of-care ultrasound, volume status

© 2021 Polish Ultrasound Society. Published by Medical Communications Sp. z o.o.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

The aim, formulas, benefits and question marks for the IVC collapsibility index and the IVC distensibility index

Schlüsselwörter
inferior vena cava, pediatric, point-of-care ultrasound, volume status