While the invasive monitoring of central venous pressure (CVP) in the critically ill septic patient has gone the way of also transfusing them to a hemoglobin of 10 mg/dL, it remains that an elevated CVP is associated with higher mortality^1,2 and renal failure.^2,3

Extrapolating from existing data looking at hepatic vein, portal vein, and renal vein pulsatility as measures of systemic venous hypertension and congestion,^4,5,6 Beaubien-Souligny et al. developed the venous excess ultrasound (VExUS) grading system incorporating assessment of all 3, plus the IVC, using US to stage severity of venous congestion in post-cardiac surgery patients.⁷ They evaluated several variations, determining that the VExUS-C grading system was most predictive of subsequent renal dysfunction.

 

(Image from www.pocus101.com)
 

High Points

       VExUS Grade 3 (severe) venous congestion:

• Correlated with higher CVP & NTproBNP levels, as well as overall fluid balance
• Had a 96% specificity for development of subsequent AKI

 

Caveats

• Evaluating all parameters yields the most benefit to avoid false positives
• Can be difficult to obtain all views (>25% of subjects excluded due to poor US image quality)
• Studied in a limited population, notably not primarily RV failure patients

 

Clinical Uses

• To limit harmful fluid administration in shock
• To help answer the prerenal vs cardiorenal AKI question in CHF
• To indicate when volume removal (diuresis) should be the strategy, even in patients with vasopressor-dependent shock

 

A great how-to can be found here:

https://www.pocus101.com/vexus-ultrasound-score-fluid-overload-and-venous-congestion-assessment/

 

References

1. Li DK, Wang XT, Liu DW. Association between elevated central venous pressure and outcomes in critically ill patients. Ann Intensive Care. 2017;7(1):83. doi:10.1186/s13613-017-0306-1

2. Chen KP, Cavender S, Lee J, et al. Peripheral Edema, Central Venous Pressure, and Risk of AKI in Critical Illness. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016;11(4):602-608.

3. Chen CY, Zhou Y, Wang P, Qi EY, Gu WJ. Elevated central venous pressure is associated with increased mortality and acute kidney injury in critically ill patients: a meta-analysis. Crit Care. 2020;24(1):80. doi:10.1186/s13054-020-2770-5

4. Iida N, Seo Y, Sai S, et al. Clinical Implications of Intrarenal Hemodynamic Evaluation by Doppler Ultrasonography in Heart Failure. JACC Heart Fail. 2016;4(8):674-682. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2016.03.016

5. Ikeda Y, Ishii S, Yazaki M, et al. Portal congestion and intestinal edema in hospitalized patients with heart failure. Heart Vessels. 2018;33(7):740-751. doi:10.1007/s00380-018-1117-5.

6. Beaubien-Souligny W, Benkreira A, Robillard P, et al. Alterations in Portal Vein Flow and Intrarenal Venous Flow Are Associated With Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018;7(19):e009961. doi:10.1161/JAHA.118.009961

7.     Beaubien-Souligny W, Rola P, Haycock K, et al. Quantifying systemic congestion with Point-Of-Care ultrasound: development of the venous excess ultrasound grading system. Ultrasound J. 2020;12(1):16. doi:10.1186/s13089-020-00163-w