Comparison of cardiac output measured by carotid artery Doppler ultrasound and echocardiography in patients admitted to Golestan and Imam Khomeyni Hospitalsl in Ahvaz

J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Jul 30;9(7):3304-3307. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_32_20. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Introduction: Ultrasound is highly effective, safe, and cost-effective for monitoring the hemodynamics and measuring the cardiac output of patients. This study aims to investigate the value of cardiac output by the measurement of common carotid artery flow, which is an inexpensive, simple, and accessible method.

Method: Doppler ultrasound of the carotid artery at thyroid level was obtained from the patients admitted to Golestan and Imam Khomeyni Hospitals in Ahvaz (the result is recorded medially from the bilateral outputs unless otherwise prescribed on one side due to a problem such as a catheter or specific position). A transthoracic echocardiography was also recorded using a portable device to measure the left ventricular outlet of diameter 0.5 cm below the aortic valve in the left parasternal with a long axis view.

Results: Of the 94 patients studied between the ages of 25 to 87 years, 53 (56.4%) were males and 41 (43.6%) females with a mean age of 53.61 with a standard deviation of 14.56. There was a direct and significant relationship between age and cardiac output using both echocardiography and color Doppler carotid ultrasound (P < 0.001).

Discussion: The results of this study showed that the measurement of cardiac output using color Doppler ultrasound in the case of inaccessible emergency echocardiography is a cheap, simple, and accessible method for the hemodynamic evaluation of patients.

Keywords: Cardiac output; carotid ultrasound; transthoracic echocardiography.