Does the Integration of Personalized Ultrasound Change Patient Management in Critical Care Medicine? Observational Trials

Table 2

Indications for clinical context-based ultrasound requests within routine ward rounds without or with personalized ultrasound (PersUS). Randomized determination of availability of PersUS. Group A did not receive ultrasound within a ward round and indications regularly determined a systematic echocardiography in a laboratory. In contrast, Group B received personalized ultrasound during the ward round.

Category number	Indication for request of a; focused exam within ward round	Group; A; No US	Group B; PersUS	Total	Decision for referral; to echo lab; Group A versus B
No. of patients in ward round		473	534	1007	95 versus 12
No. of patients receiving indications for echocardiography		95	99	194	95 versus 12
1	Focused echo (1)	22	16	38	22/1
2	EF of both ventricles	41	37	78	41/6
3	Pleural effusion (both hemithoraces) including quantification	37	42	83	37/4
4	Ascites, marking for later puncture or puncture (2)	11	8	18	11/1
5	Valve function (3)	3	4	7	3/2
6	Mitral insufficiency (focused assessment prior TOE)	4	0	4	4/0
7	Resuscitation (FEEL protocol)	0	1	1	—
8	Urinary bladder filling state, postrenal failure	1	2	3	1/0
9	Pericardial effusion (exclusion, or size and clinical course)	22	18	40	22/0
10	Pulmonary valve replacement, postinterventional check	2	6	8	2/0
Indications total		133	134	267	133/14

(1) Combined focused TTE including EF, oriented valve morphology and function, left and right ventricular dimensions. Clinical contexts contained focus on hypertension (LV-hypertrophy), right heart pressure overload, NSTEMI (LVEF), atrial fibrillation (valves, LVEF), postintervention (EF, pericardial effusion), pulmonary vein isolation therapy in case of atrial fibrillation (EF, pericardial effusion).
(2) Including 3 cases per group of the request soft tissue or musculoskeletal assessment for hematoma in the groin after coronary angiography or after pacemaker/defibrillator implantation in the anterior chest or shoulder area.
(3) Main issues were focused assessment of aortic valve opening in the elderly.