Venous excess ultrasonography (VExUS) captures dynamic changes in volume status surrounding hemodialysis: A multicenter prospective observational study

Background: The evaluation of volume status is essential to clinical decision-making, yet multiple studies have shown that physical exam does not reliably estimate a patient’s intravascular volume. Venous excess ultrasound score (VExUS) is an emerging volume assessment tool that utilizes inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and pulse-wave Doppler waveforms of the portal, hepatic and renal veins to evaluate venous congestion. A point-of-care ultrasound exam initially developed by Beaubein-Souligny et al., VExUS represents a reproducible, non-invasive and accurate means of assessing intravascular congestion. VExUS has recently been validated against RHC—the gold-standard of hemodynamic evaluation for volume assessment. While VExUS scores were shown to correlate with elevated cardiac filling pressures (i.e., right atrial pressure (RAP) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)) at a static point in time, the ability of VExUS to capture dynamic changes in volume status has yet to be elucidated. We hypothesized that paired VExUS examinations performed before and after hemodialysis (HD) would reflect changes in venous congestion in a diverse patient population. Methods: Inpatients with end-stage renal disease undergoing intermittent HD were evaluated with transabdominal VExUS and lung ultrasonography before and following HD. Paired t-tests were conducted to assess differences between pre-HD and post-HD VExUS scores, B-line scores and dyspnea scores. Results: Fifty-six patients were screened for inclusion in this study. Ten were excluded due to insufficient image quality or incomplete exams, and forty-six patients (ninety-two paired ultrasound exams) were included in the final analysis. Paired t-test analysis of pre-HD and post-HD VExUS scores revealed a mean VExUS grade change of 0.82 (p<0.001) on a VExUS scale ranging from 0 to 4. The mean difference in B-line score following HD was 0.8 (p=0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in subjective dyspnea score (p=0.41). Conclusions: Large-volume fluid removal with HD was represented by changes in VExUS score, highlighting the utility of the VExUS exam to capture dynamic shifts in intravascular volume status. Future studies should evaluate change in VExUS grade with intravenous fluid or diuretic administration, with the ultimate goal of evaluating the capacity of a standardized bedside ultrasound protocol to guide inpatient volume optimization.