A Simple Clinical Tool to Help Assess Patient Volume (Fluid) Status

Patients may have actual or relative intravascular volume depletion in a number of different disease states, particularly with sepsis syndrome. However, it is clinically difficult to determine volume status without invasive monitoring, which may cause unintended complications. Our hypothesis is that we can accurately estimate central venous pressure, which is a surrogate marker of volume status, with a noninvasive portable ultrasound device.