BACKGROUND

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is widely used for assessing patients in the intensive care unit, with cardiac output measurement being crucial for hemodynamic monitoring. This is achieved by measuring the velocity-time integral (VTI) of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), which serves as a surrogate of stroke volume. However, conducting TTE in the critical care setting presents several challenges. Our primary objective was to investigate the relationship between carotid corrected flow time (cCFT) and LVOT VTI. Additionally, we aimed to determine the threshold cCFT value that reliably predicts a normal LVOT VTI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This proof-of-concept study involves a post-hoc analysis from a diagnostic accuracy investigation conducted in a medical-surgical intensive care unit. We included patients admitted to the ICU from December 2021 to January 2022. We used a phased array transducer to measure the cCFT at the left supraclavicular fossa and the LVOT VTI in an apical 5-chamber view.

RESULTS

We included 22 patients. The Spearman coefficient between LVOT VTI and cCFT was 0.82 (p < 0.0001). The area under the ROC curve for cCFT to predict LVOT VTI equal to or greater than 17 cm was 0.871 (95% CI 0.660-0.974). A cCFT exceeding 283 ms predicted LVOT VTI equal to or greater than 17 cm with a sensitivity of 93.3% (95% CI 68.1% to 99.8%) and specificity of 85.7% (95% CI 42.1% to 99.6%).

CONCLUSION

The cCFT, measured using a novel technique with a phased array transducer, shows a strong correlation with LVOT VTI. Additionally, cCFT predicts a normal LVOT VTI with good sensitivity and specificity in critically ill patients. Larger studies are warranted to validate these findings.