Feasibility of Using a Pocket-Sized Ultrasound Device to Measure the Inferior Vena Cava Diameter of Patients With Heart Failure in the Community Setting: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: The incidence of heart failure as well as its treatment costs and rehospitalization rates are increasing worldwide. Physical assessment of elderly patients with heart failure living in their homes is challenging for community nurses. Pocket-sized echocardiographs will be useful for assessing the condition of the patients with heart failure during home-visit care. Objectives: This pilot study aimed to examine the feasibility of measuring the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter using a pocket-sized ultrasound device. Methods: Nursing students were trained to use the pocket-sized ultrasound device (PUSD) for measuring the inferior vena cava diameter of a healthy subject. We evaluated the accuracy and rapidity of the nursing students’ measurements compared with those of an expert sonographer. Results: In total, 83.3% of the participants accurately visualized the IVC using the PSUD. There was no significant difference in the mean IVC diameter between that measured by the students and the sonographer. In total, 25% of the participants accurately measured the IVC diameter. The mean measurement time was 201 seconds. Conclusion: Our training program allowed the participants to accurately visualize the IVC using the PSUD. However, these results on accuracy and measurement time still need to be improved before community nurses can use the PSUD during home visits.

The use of ultrasonography in education for undergraduate nursing students: A literature review

“…Although there are still many challenges ahead (e.g. relatively low accuracy of the measurement) (Antipova et al, 2021;Kimori & Tamura, 2020), several studies included in this review also demonstrated that nursing students could acquire various PoCUS skills to some degree through training, such as sonographic measurement of inferior vena cava diameters, residual urine volume, rectus abdominis muscle width, imaging vital organs, and breast imaging for early detection of breast cancer. There are some other PoCUS skills that are not included in the review but are used in clinical practice by nurses, such as assessing respiratory conditions, constipation, deep venous thrombosis, and pressure ulcers (e.g.…”

Inferior Vena Cava Edge Tracking Echocardiography: A Promising Tool with Applications in Multiple Clinical Settings

“…No adjunctive or specific training is required. (3) Adoption by non-physicians users: Trained nurses may successfully use US for IVC assessment [47]. Thus, IVC edge tracking echocardiography may be easily managed by nurses, giving them more autonomy and personal skills.…”

One-day seminar for residents for implementing abdominal pocket-sized ultrasound

“…Portable US devices have passed through three generations: Laptop-associated devices (personal computer-sized machine coupled with multiple applications), hand-carried devices (book-sized machine carried by hand), and hand-held devices (portable and able to fit in the pocket of a clinician’s white coat, thus referred to as pocket-sized US). Each US company has different built-in applications, such as Doppler display, puncture guidance, and distance or volume measurement[ 16 ].…”

“…Each US company has different built-in applications, such as a Doppler display (Figures 2 and 5 ), embedded in almost all devices. Puncture guidance is embedded in about half of all devices[ 25 ], and distance or volume measurement function is embedded in a small number of devices (Figure 13 )[ 16 , 26 ]. Biplane imaging is embedded in a limited number of devices[ 27 ], and wireless function is embedded in a small number of devices (Figure 14 ).…”

“…Decontamination assessment must never be compromised. Some recent studies have shown that pocket-sized US performed efficiently as a tool for screening a variety of diseases[ 16 , 20 , 29 , 30 , 34 , 41 ]. The pocket-sized US devices were also used successfully by other healthcare providers, such as nurses and physical therapists.…”