ETD

• echocardiography
• heart failure
• POCUS
• ultrasound
• venous doppler
• VExUS

Congestion is the main driver of heart failure hospitalization; its presence and degree can predict hospitalization and mortality in patients with heart failure. Several objective markers of decongestion have been proposed to augment the power of the physical exam and detect sub-clinical congestion both as laboratory (i.e. NT-proBNP, BUN/Creatinine) and ultrasonographic (IVC, B-lines, venous doppler) parameters. In recent years, focus has shifted from finding the single most reliable marker to a simultaneous multiorgan assessment to increase the sensitivity and specificity of individual Doppler findings. The first integrated model proposed for this purpose is the "Venous Excess Ultrasound Score (VExUS) by Beaubien-Souligny and colleagues in 2020". We developed a new score we named "Congestion Score" tailored to the outpatient setting. We then compared it to VExUS for congestion stratification in an outpatient population. The main finding was that our newly proposed Congestion score showed a more comprehensive, granular and clinically meaningful assessment of congestion in chronic heart failure patients compared with VExUS score.