Dynamic Assessment of Fluid Responsiveness and Venous Congestion Evolution of the VExUS Score During Volume Expansion in Critically Ill Patients

What this Trial Is About

Fluid responsiveness helps guide fluid treatment in critically ill patients, but giving too much fluid can cause fluid overload, leading to venous congestion and poorer outcomes. Venous congestion signals difficulty in clearing fluid and is linked to worse prognosis. Previous studies have found that fluid responsiveness and venous congestion can occur together in critically ill patients, but these studies did not use fluid challenge—the best way to measure fluid responsiveness—so the relationship between these factors is not fully understood. This research aims to explore how fluid responsiveness and venous congestion change over time following a fluid challenge in critically ill patients. The study focuses on a standardized fluid challenge where patients receive an intravenous infusion of crystalloid fluid to expand their blood volume. Participants are critically ill adults in the intensive care unit who already have hemodynamic monitoring in place, including cardiac output estimation through pulse wave contour analysis. The investigation measures changes in venous congestion using the VExUS score before and after a 15-minute fluid challenge. Participants will be monitored closely during the fluid challenge to assess their response and venous congestion status. Researchers will compare the differences in venous congestion changes between those who respond to the fluid and those who do not. The study involves continuous hemodynamic monitoring, and data will be collected to evaluate fluid responsiveness and venous congestion dynamics. The goal is to better understand this interplay to improve fluid management in critically ill patients.

Fluid Responsiveness and Venous Congestion Evolution During Volume Expansion