Comparison of the effectiveness of USCOM and echocardiography in assessing cardiac output on pediatric patients with shock

Abstract

Background

Shock is a circulatory failure, and its clinical manifestations result in decreased cardiac output. Hemodynamic monitoring is important in shock patients to determine further management. Demand for noninvasive examination methods, such as ultrasound cardiac output monitoring (USCOM) and echocardiography, is increasing because of their practicality and lower risks.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to compare cardiac output determined using USCOM and echocardiography in pediatric patients with shock.

Methods

This prospective observational study used a cross-sectional data collection approach. It collected data on 48 pediatric shock patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Kandou General Hospital (Manado, Indonesia) between March and June 2022. The instruments used were USCOM and echocardiography. The regression analysis results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals and p < 0.05.

Results

The mean cardiac output of pediatric patients with shock was 2.50 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.28) with USCOM and 2.45 (SD = 0.77) with echocardiography. Echocardiographic and USCOM cardiac output values were significantly correlated, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.832 (83.2 %), indicating a near-perfect linear correlation.

Conclusion

This study's results show that USCOM is as effective as echocardiography in assessing cardiac output in children with shock.