Diagnostic Reliability of Duplex Ultrasonography of the Venous System for Screening of Catheter-related Thrombosis Performed by a General Nurse

Catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) has been found as the major complication of the established central venous catheter in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Its reported incidence varies from 5 to 66 %. Although most cases are asymptomatic, in up to 10 - 15 % of the patients pulmonary embolism occurs. In addition, CRT is associated with the risk of infection, post-thrombotic syndrome and with general disruption of the management of the underlying disease. The most accessible diagnostic method for CRT recognition is duplex ultrasonography. However, screening of CRT by duplex ultrasonography is not common approach in ICUs. Normally, duplex ultrasonography is performed by physicians. In this setting, implementation of the screening in ICU would be time consuming and practically unrealizable. Delegating this competence to ICU nurses can increase availability of this screening method.

Therefore, as a first step, investigators decided to perform a validation clinical study to verify the diagnostic accuracy of duplex ultrasonography of the venous system for CRT screening performed by a general nurse.