title: Correlation between supra-sternal Doppler cardiac output (USCOM) measurements and chest radiological features.
abstract: Cardiac output can be measured non-invasively using supra-sternal Doppler (USCOM, Sydney, NSW, Australia). However, scanning can be difficult in practice in older patients, the reason for which has not been elucidated previously. Chest radiographs from 60 previously studied anaesthetised patients were reviewed and scored for aortic unfolding, enlargement and calcification, and cardiac enlargement. Corresponding supra-sternal Doppler scans were graded as easy or difficult using the Cattermole scoring system. Twenty patients who were difficult to scan, aged 60-88 years, had mean (SD) radiological scores of 5.9 (2.5) out of 12, while 20 adult controls, 40-60 years, and 20 older patients who were easy to scan, 60-80 years, had radiological scores of 0.9 (1.1) and 1.7 (1.4), respectively (p < 0.001). Over 75% of the patients who were difficult to scan had two or more radiological features suggestive of aortic unfolding and cardiac enlargement. Morphological or anatomical changes associated with ageing within the upper chest play an important part in the success of using supra-sternal Doppler in older patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: L A H
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Critchley
authors.forename: R L K
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Lok
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies