Summary
This systematic review aimed to assess the accuracy of inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasound, specifically the IVC collapsibility index (IVC-CIx), as a stand-alone test for diagnosing heart failure (HF) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute dyspnoea.
Seven studies, involving 591 patients, were included in the review. The findings suggest that the sensitivity and specificity of IVC-CIx are suboptimal as a stand-alone test for ruling in or ruling out HF in patients with acute dyspnoea in the ED setting.
The authors suggest that IVC-CIx may be more useful when integrated into a specific diagnostic algorithm for the differential diagnosis of acute dyspnoea.
