Objective: The Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor is a noninvasive method of hemodynamic assessment and monitoring in critically ill patients. There are no published reference ranges for normal values in children for this device. This study aimed to establish normal ranges for cardiovascular indices measured using Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor in children aged 0-12 yrs old and to assess interobserver reliability.
Design: This was a population-based cross-sectional observational study.
Setting: Schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong.
Subjects: Chinese children aged up to 12 yrs old.
Interventions: Two operators performed Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor scans on each child together with standard oscillometric measurement of blood pressure and heart rate. Software intrinsic to the Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor device produces values for stroke volume, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance. For each parameter, normal ranges were defined as lying between the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Interobserver reliability was assessed with Bland-Altman plots, coefficients of variation, and intraclass correlation.
Measurements and main results: A total of 1,197 Chinese children (55% boys) were scanned. Normal ranges of values for cardiac output, stroke volume, and systemic vascular resistance indices are presented. Interobserver reliability for Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor was superior to that for standard blood pressure and heart rate measurement.
Conclusions: This large study presents normal values for cardiovascular indices in children using the Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitor with good interobserver reliability.