Diagnostic reliability of duplex venous ultrasound for catheter-related thrombosis performed by a general intensive care nurse

Abstract

Introduction: It has been shown that general intensive care nurses are able to perform an examination of the deep venous system of the lower extremities for the diagnosis of proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) using a compression ultrasound test with a high degree of reliability. (Skulec et al. in Eur J Intern Med 76:130-131, 2020) Another challenge for the use of vascular point-of-care ultrasound in intensive care is the diagnosis of central venous catheter-related thrombosis. It is a common problem that is often underdiagnosed. Due to the simplicity of the examination and the possible link with nursing care of inserted central venous catheters, this may be another potential diagnostic competency for critical care nurses.

Methodology: Before the start of the study, each nurse participating in the study completed a two-hour training in duplex ultrasonography and examined 5 patients under supervision. Then patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) included in the study, underwent a duplex ultrasound performed by a nurse. Within 24 h, the examination was repeated by the ICU doctor. In the case of catheter insertion into the internal jugular vein (VJI) or the subclavian vein (VSC), the jugular vein, subclavian vein, and axillary vein (VA) were examined bilaterally. When the catheter was inserted into the femoral vein (VF), the patients were subjected to a duplex ultrasound of the femoral vein and the popliteal vein (VP) of both lower limbs. The examination results of each patient were blinded until both tests were performed. Calculations were used to evaluate the reliability of the test.

Result: A total of 160 patients aged 62.9 ± 12.3 years were included. In our sample, the prevalence of CRT was found to be 41%. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of examinations performed by general intensive care nurses were 90.8%, 97.1%, 91.8%, 96.8%, and 95.5%, respectively.

Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that general ICU nurses are able to perform inpatient CRT duplex ultrasound with excellent specificity but only moderate sensitivity after a short, predefined training.

Keywords: Catheter thrombosis (CRT); Duplex ultrasonography (DUS); General nurse.