Portal and Splenic Venous Pulsatility in Postoperative Critically Ill Patients (PULSE-ICU)

September 14, 2026 updated by: Lucia Valencia, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín

Correlation Between Portal and Splenic Venous Pulsatility Using Doppler Ultrasound as a Marker of Venous Congestion in Postoperative Critically Ill Patients

Venous congestion is common in critically ill postoperative patients and may be associated with adverse outcomes. Doppler ultrasound assessment of venous flow patterns, including portal venous pulsatility, is increasingly used to evaluate systemic venous congestion.

This prospective observational study aims to determine the correlation between portal venous pulsatility and splenic venous pulsatility measured by Doppler ultrasound in adult patients admitted to a postoperative intensive care unit. The study will evaluate whether splenic venous pulsatility may provide additional information for the assessment of venous congestion.

Ultrasound examinations will be performed in addition to standard clinical care, without any therapeutic intervention or modification of patient management.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Detailed Description

Systemic venous congestion is increasingly recognized as an important pathophysiological factor in critically ill patients, particularly after major surgery. The Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS) grading system combines inferior vena cava assessment with Doppler evaluation of hepatic, portal, and renal venous flow patterns to identify clinically relevant venous congestion.

The portal venous pulsatility index (PI), calculated using pulsed-wave Doppler measurements at the hepatic hilum, has been described as a marker of venous congestion and has shown potential clinical relevance in the assessment of fluid status and decongestion response.

However, splenic venous pulsatility has not been systematically evaluated as a marker of venous congestion in critically ill patients, and its relationship with portal venous pulsatility remains unknown. Since both venous territories drain into the portal system and may reflect retrograde transmission of elevated right atrial pressure, splenic venous pulsatility could represent an additional non-invasive parameter for congestion assessment.

This prospective, observational, single-center study will investigate the correlation between portal and splenic venous pulsatility measured by Doppler ultrasound in postoperative critically ill patients. Secondary objectives include assessment of measurement reproducibility, evaluation of the relationship with VExUS grading, analysis in clinically relevant subgroups, and exploration of the association between splenic venous pulsatility and decongestion during ICU admission.

No experimental treatment will be administered, and all ultrasound assessments will be performed as an additional non-invasive evaluation alongside standard clinical management.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients admitted to the postoperative intensive care unit after major surgery. Participants will undergo Doppler ultrasound assessment of portal and splenic venous pulsatility during the early postoperative period to evaluate the relationship between venous pulsatility patterns and systemic venous congestion.

Description

nclusion Criteria:

Adults aged ≥18 years. Admission to the postoperative intensive care unit within 72 hours after surgery.

Adequate abdominal ultrasound window allowing visualization of the portal vein and splenic vein.

Written informed consent provided by the patient or legally authorized representative according to local regulations.

Exclusion Criteria:

Known chronic liver disease or previous portal hypertension. Previous pathological splenomegaly or prior splenectomy. Recent hepatic or splenic surgery during the same hospitalization. Known portal or splenic vein thrombosis. Absence of an adequate ultrasound window after two attempts by trained operators.

Death or discharge from the intensive care unit before completion of the first protocolized ultrasound assessment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Correlation between portal venous pulsatility index (portal PI) and splenic venous pulsatility index (splenic PI) measured by Doppler ultrasound.
Time Frame: Baseline assessment during the first 72 hours after admission to the postoperative intensive care unit.
The primary outcome is the degree of correlation between portal and splenic venous pulsatility indices assessed during the same ultrasound examination in postoperative critically ill patients.
Baseline assessment during the first 72 hours after admission to the postoperative intensive care unit.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe