The Reliability of Carotid Artery Doppler Ultrasonography Indices in Predicting Fluid Responsiveness during Surgery for Geriatric Patients: A Prospective, Observational Study

Abstract

Background: The reliability of determining fluid responsiveness during surgery in geriatric patients is challenging. Our primary outcome was to determine the reliability of Corrected Flow Time (FTc) in predicting fluid responsiveness. Methods: Elderly patients undergoing major surgery under general anesthesia were included. Measurements of common carotid artery diameter, velocity time integral, and systolic flow time (FT) were performed before and after a fluid challenge. FTc and carotid blood flow (CBF) were subsequently calculated. Results: The median change in carotid diameter was significantly higher in the fluid-responder (R) compared to the non-responder (NR) (6.51% vs. 0.65%, p = 0.049). The median change in CBF was notably higher in R compared to NR (30.04% vs. 9.72%, p = 0.024). Prior to the fluid challenge, systolic FT was significantly shorter in R than NR (285 ms vs. 315 ms, p = 0.027), but after the fluid challenge, these measurements became comparable among the groups. The change in systolic FT was higher in R (15.38% vs. 7.49%, p = 0.027). FTc and the change in FTc exhibited similarities among the groups at all study time points. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.682 (95% CI: 0.509–0.855, p = 0.039) for carotid diameter, 0.710 (95% CI: 0.547–0.872, p = 0.011) for CBF, 0.706 (95% CI: 0.540–0.872, p = 0.015) for systolic FT, and 0.580 (95% CI = 0.389–0.770, p = 0.413) for FTc. Conclusions: In geriatric patients, potential endothelial changes in the carotid artery may influence the dynamic markers of fluid responsiveness. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of FTc in predicting fluid responsiveness in the general population, this study underscores the limited reliability of carotid Doppler ultrasonography indices for prediction in a geriatric patient population.