Comparison between the Carotid Doppler Peak Velocity in the Respiratory Cycle with Conventional Methods of Volume Assessment in Patients with Septic Shock

Investigation for an accurate, reliable, and non-invasive method for assessing volume responsiveness in septic shock patients is of high priority in the emergency department. Carotid artery Doppler sonography can be easily performed at the bedside. Therefore, this study used carotid Doppler sonographic parameters to determine and evaluate the need for volume in patients with septic shock.

The present single-center, prospective, observational study was performed on all patients with septic shock admitted to emergency department during the study period. Vital signs, diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC), and the carotid Doppler peak velocity (CDPV) were evaluated on arrival and two hours after resuscitation. Data description and analysis were done using SPSS.

Forty-four patients enrolled in this study, of which 30 (68.2%) were men. The average age of these patients was 62.55±17.91 years.The findings indicated a statistically significant increase in IVC min (P=0.016), CDPV max (P=0.001), and ΔCDPV (P<0.0001) in patients after two hours of treatment.

Carotid Doppler sonographic parameters can be implemented, as a dynamic criterion, to determine the fluid responsiveness in patients.