Accuracy of nurse-performed compression ultrasonography in the diagnosis of proximal symptomatic deep vein thrombosis: a prospective cohort study

Training, Competency, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Point-of-care ultrasound can provide critical diagnostic information and add to procedural safety. As with any clinical skill, however, it must be applied by an adequately trained provider, with systems to ensure safety. Training can include a mix of hands-on training with traditional didactics, online coursework, and simulation, but each carries its own costs and benefits worth of review. Following training it is essential to think about assessment of competency in point-of-care ultrasound to reflect the combination of cognitive and procedural skills that makes up the practice. Within the frameworks described, expansion can be expected across specialty and professional boundaries.

A bibliometric analysis in venous thromboembolism nursing (1999-2022): Current status and future prospects

Research on venous thromboembolism (VTE) in nursing has garnered significant attention. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of VTE nursing publications, offering valuable insights into the current state of the field and forecasting future trends. A comprehensive screening of global publications up to 2022 was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database to investigate VTE nursing. The search incorporated keywords such as 'venous thromboembolism', 'deep vein thrombosis', and 'pulmonary embolism' to identify relevant studies. A bibliometric analysis of these publications was performed using various visualisation tools such as VOSviewer and R software. A total of 675 papers on VTE nursing were identified, with the earliest publication dating back to 1999. The research involved 971 institutions from 43 countries, with the United States leading by contributing to 261 articles. Harvard University emerged as the most productive institution, and Heit, with 17 publications, was the most cited author. The journal Thrombosis Research published the highest number of papers (11). The frontiers of VTE nursing research are anticipated to continue focusing on topics such as epidemiology, risk factors, and VTE prevention and management.

Two Cases of Extensive Venous Thrombosis Incidentally Discovered With Bedside Ultrasound for Intravenous Access

Perioperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a serious and increasingly common complication. While point-of-care ultrasound is commonly used in regional nerve blocks, central vascular access, and difficult peripheral vascular, access there are very few reports of DVT incidentally discovered by anesthesiologists. We report 2 cases of diagnosis of DVT that resulted from ultrasound for difficult peripheral venous access. In the course of ultrasound-guided procedures, anesthesiologists are in a position to incidentally discover DVT and potentially change management to reduce the likelihood of DVT leading to pulmonary embolism.

Non-invasive diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis from ultrasound imaging with machine learning

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot most commonly found in the leg, which can lead to fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Compression ultrasound of the legs is the diagnostic gold standard, leading to a definitive diagnosis. However, many patients with possible symptoms are not found to have a DVT, resulting in long referral waiting times for patients and a large clinical burden for specialists. Thus, diagnosis at the point of care by non-specialists is desired. We collect images in a pre-clinical study and investigate a deep learning approach for the automatic interpretation of compression ultrasound images. Our method provides guidance for free-hand ultrasound and aids non-specialists in detecting DVT. We train a deep learning algorithm on ultrasound videos from 255 volunteers and evaluate on a sample size of 53 prospectively enrolled patients from an NHS DVT diagnostic clinic and 30 prospectively enrolled patients from a German DVT clinic. Algorithmic DVT diagnosis performance results in a sensitivity within a 95% CI range of (0.82, 0.94), specificity of (0.70, 0.82), a positive predictive value of (0.65, 0.89), and a negative predictive value of (0.99, 1.00) when compared to the clinical gold standard. To assess the potential benefits of this technology in healthcare we evaluate the entire clinical DVT decision algorithm and provide cost analysis when integrating our approach into diagnostic pathways for DVT. Our approach is estimated to generate a positive net monetary benefit at costs up to £72 to £175 per software-supported examination, assuming a willingness to pay of £20,000/QALY.

Efficacy of modified pressure cuff for thrombolytic treatment on lower extremity deep venous thrombosis

ABSTRACT

To compare the effectiveness and patient comfort between two methods that block superficial venous blood flow during the thrombolytic treatment of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) to provide evidence that informs clinical choice.One hundred twenty patients with lower extremity DVT were randomly divided into sphygmomanometer (group A, n = 40), tourniquet (group B, n = 40), and control group (no blocking, n = 40). All the patients were treated with a daily dosage of urokinase using a dial sphygmomanometer cuff and tourniquet to block lower extremity superficial vein blood flow. The pressure of the dial sphygmomanometer blocking lower extremity superficial vein blood flow was measured during lower extremity venography. Leg swelling reduction rate, venous patency, thrombus removal rate, and average comfort index were observed during the blocking process.The average pressure value for group A was 70  ± 10 mm Hg. The differences in the swelling reduction rate and venous patency were significant between the groups. Comparing the two groups at different time points, the average thrombus clearance rate of group A was higher than that of group B and control group. The leg pain scores of group A were lower than those of group B and control group. The postoperative comfort ratio of group A was higher than that of group B, and the proportion of severe discomfort in group A was lower than that in group B.Compared with the tourniquet, using a dial sphygmomanometer cuff to block lower extremity superficial vein blood flow achieved a better thrombolytic effect on DVT and provided higher patient comfort during treatment.

General Practitioner-Performed Compression Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis of the Leg: A Multicenter, Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limb represent a diagnostic dilemma for general practitioners. Compression ultrasonography (US) is universally recognized as the best test of choice. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of compression US performed by general practitioners given short training in the management of symptomatic proximal DVT.

METHODS

From May 2014 to May 2016, we evaluated in a multicenter, prospective cohort study all consecutive outpatients with suspected DVT; bilateral proximal lower limb compression US was performed by general practitioners and by physicians expert in vascular US, each group blinded to the other's findings. In all examinations with a negative or nondiagnostic result, compression US was repeated by the same operator after 5 to 7 days. Inter-observer agreement and accuracy were calculated.

RESULTS

We enrolled a total of 1,107 patients. The expert physicians diagnosed DVT in 200 patients, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 18.1% (95% CI, 15.8%-20.3%). The agreement between the trained general practitioners and the experts was excellent (Cohen κ = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.84-0.88). Compression US performed by general practitioners had a sensitivity of 90.0% (95% CI, 88.2%-91.8%) and a specificity of 97.1% (95% CI, 96.2%-98.1%) with a diagnostic accuracy for DVT of 95.8% (95% CI, 94.7%-97.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that, even in hands of physicians not expert in vascular US, compression US can be a reliable tool in the diagnosis of DVT. We found that the sensitivity achieved by general practitioners appeared suboptimal, however, so future studies should evaluate the implementation of proper training strategies to maximize skill.

Accuracy of Nurse-Performed Lung Ultrasound in Patients With Acute Dyspnea: A Prospective Observational Study

In clinical practice lung ultrasound (LUS) is becoming an easy and reliable noninvasive tool for the evaluation of dyspnea. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of nurse-performed LUS, in particular, in the diagnosis of acute cardiogenic pulmonary congestion. We prospectively evaluated all the consecutive patients admitted for dyspnea in our Medicine Department between April and July 2014. At admission, serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and LUS was performed by trained nurses blinded to clinical and laboratory data. The accuracy of nurse-performed LUS alone and combined with BNP for the diagnosis of acute cardiogenic dyspnea was calculated. Two hundred twenty-six patients (41.6% men, mean age 78.7 ± 12.7 years) were included in the study. Nurse-performed LUS alone had a sensitivity of 95.3% (95% CI: 92.6-98.1%), a specificity of 88.2% (95% CI: 84.0-92.4%), a positive predictive value of 87.9% (95% CI: 83.7-92.2%) and a negative predictive value of 95.5% (95% CI: 92.7-98.2%). The combination of nurse-performed LUS with BNP level (cut-off 400 pg/mL) resulted in a higher sensitivity (98.9%, 95% CI: 97.4-100%), negative predictive value (98.8%, 95% CI: 97.2-100%), and corresponding negative likelihood ratio (0.01, 95% CI: 0.0, 0.07). Nurse-performed LUS had a good accuracy in the diagnosis of acute cardiogenic dyspnea. Use of this technique in combination with BNP seems to be useful in ruling out cardiogenic dyspnea. Other studies are warranted to confirm our preliminary findings and to establish the role of this tool in other settings.

Ultrasound Guided Intravenous Access by Nursing versus Resident Staff in a Community Based Teaching Hospital: A "Noninferiority" Trial

Objectives. Ultrasound (US) guidance is a safe and effective method for peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter placement. However, no studies have directly compared the success rate of emergency medicine (EM) residents and nurses at using this technique especially in community hospital settings. This prospective “noninferiority” study sought to demonstrate that nursing staff are at least as successful as EM residents at placing US guided IVs. Methods. A group of 5 EM residents and 11 nurse volunteers with at least two years' experience underwent training sessions in hands-on practice and didactic instruction with prospective follow-up. Two failed attempts on a patient using standard approach by an emergency department (ED) nurse were deemed to be “difficult sticks” and randomly assigned to either a nurse or resident, based on the day they presented. Results. A total of 90 attempts, consisting of trials on 90 patients, were recorded with a success rate of 85% and 86% for residents and nurses, respectively. With a p value of .305, there was no statistically significant difference in the success rate between the residents and nurses. Conclusion. Properly trained nursing staff can be as equally successful as EM residents in placing US guided intravenous lines.