SHoC-IVC: Does assessment of the inferior vena cava by point-of-care ultrasound independently predict fluid status in spontaneously breathing patients with undifferentiated hypotension?

Background: Accurately determining the fluid status of a patient during resuscitation in the emergency department (ED) helps guide appropriate fluid administration in the setting of undifferentiated hypotension. Our goal was to determine the diagnostic utility of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) for inferior vena cava (IVC) size and collapsibility in predicting a volume overload fluid status in spontaneously breathing hypotensive ED patients.

Methods: This was a post hoc secondary analysis of the SHOC-ED data, a prospective randomized controlled trial investigating PoCUS in patients with undifferentiated hypotension.