Hemodynamic Venous Congestion Ultrasound (VExUS) by ICU Nurses in Sepsis Patients.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Education in performing hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion, Hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Sepsis, Sepsis and Septic Shock, Sepsis at Intensive Care Unit, Intensive Care Nurses. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Hemodynamic Diagnostic Ultrasound of Venous Congestion (VExUS) Performed by Intensive Care Nurses on Patients With Sepsis.
Overview
Sepsis is a serious condition where the body's immune response to infection overreacts, leading to organ damage and death. Venous congestion, a buildup of blood in the veins, can occur in sepsis and contribute to organ injury. VExUS (Venous Excess Ultrasound Score) is an ultrasound method that can detect congestion early. This study examines whether ICU nurses, after training, can perform VExUS reliably, explores their experiences, and investigates links between VExUS findings and clinical outcomes.
Detailed description
Sepsis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that happens when the body's defense system overreacts to an infection. This overreaction can reduce the oxygen supply to the body's organs, causing damage and, in severe cases, organ failure. Up to 30% of people with sepsis die from it, and it is one of the most common causes of death in intensive care units.
Venous congestion, which means blood builds up in the veins, can occur in sepsis-for example, due to fluid overload or reduced heart function. This condition has been linked to organ injury. The VExUS (Venous Excess Ultrasound Score) is an ultrasound-based method that evaluates blood flow in the body's main veins. It has shown promise for identifying patients with venous congestion early. By using VExUS, it may be possible to detect the risk of organ injury sooner in intensive care patients with sepsis.
Ultrasound is becoming an increasingly important diagnostic tool in intensive care and is now often used directly at the bedside. Doctors already use ultrasound in many clinical situations and have extensive experience with it. Intensive care nurses, however, have had less opportunity to use ultrasound. Increasing their skills in this area could improve patient care.
VExUS is a relatively simple method that assesses blood flow in central veins without requiring precise measurements, making it well suited as an introduction to ultrasound use.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether intensive care nurses, after training, can perform VExUS on sepsis patients reliably. In the long term, this study could lead to intensive care nurses routinely performing VExUS as part of their hemodynamic assessment of patients.The study also explores the nurses' experiences and confidence with the method, including interviews. In addition, it investigates whether venous congestion identified by VExUS is linked to clinical outcomes.
Interventions
- Behavioral Education in performing hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion
Educational program in performing hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion - Diagnostic test Hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion
Hemodynamic diagnostic ultrasound of venous congestion
Primary outcome measures
- Intensive care nurses' VExUS performance [Time frame: two years]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
- Intra-rater VExUS reliability [Time frame: two years]
- Inter-rater VExUS reliability [Time frame: two years]
- Inter-rater VExUS image agreement [Time frame: two years]
- Venous congestion measured by VExUS and fluid status [Time frame: two years]
- Venous congestion measured by VExUS and clinical outcomes [Time frame: two years]
- Intensive care nurses' self-efficacy, confidence and experiences [Time frame: two years]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
Intensive Care Nurses a) Intensive care nurse, specialist degree in intensive care. b) ≥1,5 years of experience in intensive care. c) ≥75% clinical employment rate at the ICU. d) Continued employment until 2026 at the ICU at Örebro University Hospital. e) Written informed consent Intensive Care Patients
- Patients with suspected or verified sepsis according to the Sepsis 3 criteria (suspected or confirmed infection), ≥qSOFA (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg, GCS ≤ 13, respiratory rate ≥ 22 per minute) or rise in SOFA score ≥ 2 points and admitted to the ICU.
- ≥18 years of age.
Exclusion criteria
Intensive Care Nurses
a) Personnel with primarily an administration position or less clinical duty at the ICU.
Intensive Care Patients
- Patients with preexisting liver cirrhosis.
- Pregnancy.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07406750 · VEXIVAN01 · CIV-25-05-052654