Objective: To assess the variations of renal vascularization scale and resistive index in septic shock patients during the first 6 h in intensive care unit (ICU).
Methods: A total of 39 septic shock patients were prospectively enrolled to receive echocardiographic and renal ultrasound examinations. And the data of mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac output (CO), renal vascularization scale (VS) and resistive index (RI) were recorded.
Results: Among 19 patients without an increase of CVP, 8 of them showed significant increase in MAP and CO. Six of 8 patients with increases both in MAP and CO displayed an increase of VS while only 1 out of the remaining 11 patients had an increase of VS (P = 0.027). Among 20 patients with an increase of CVP, 9 of them showed no significant increase in MAP or CO. Eight out of 9 patients without significant increase in MAP or CO displayed a decrease of VS while only 2 out of the remaining 11 patients displayed a decrease of VS (P = 0.086). They were divided into two groups according to the variations of MAP, CVP and CO respectively. No significant change of RI was found between oh and 6 h in each group.
Conclusion: The renal vascularization scale increases in patients with increases both in CO and MAP while CVP remains almost unchanged. No significant relationship exists between resistive index and such hemodynamic parameters as CO, MAP and CVP.