The "ABCDE" Score as a Five-step Vascular Ultrasound Examination in Heart Failure

Summary

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities, resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intra-cardiac pressures at rest or during stress. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in Internal Medicine departments.

This study aims at exploring evidence of the importance of ultrasound in HF both for hospitalized patients and in the follow up. Ultrasound may be used as a recovery monitoring instrument at the bedside and also as a global cardiovascular assessment tool for these patients.

HF represents an exciting opportunity to create an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.The Authors plan a five-step ultrasound examination to evaluate and monitor HF patients during hospitalization and follow-up. They call this examination: the "ABCDE" score. It includes the evaluations of A, the Ankle-brachial index (ABI), B, the B-lines, C, the Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), D, the Diameter of the abdominal aorta and of the inferior cave vein and E, the echocardiographic assessment of the ejection fraction.This score represent an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.

Conditions

• Heart Failure
• Atherosclerosis

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

ultrasound examination

ultrasound assessment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Palermo

  collaborator OTHER

• University Of Perugia

  collaborator OTHER

• IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria di Negrar

  collaborator OTHER

• Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• CHIARA MOZZINI, MD,PhD · Universita di Verona

• DOMENICO GIRELLI, MD,PhD · Universita di Verona

• MAURIZIO SORESI, MD,PhD · University of Palermo

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

90 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-04-26

Primary Completion

2022-04-26

Completion

2022-04-26

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations