Hiemstra B, et al. - In this study, researchers evaluated the correlations and diagnostic performance of clinical signs for approximation of cardiac index in critically ill patients.

The study sample consisted of acutely ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit who were likely to stay > 24 hours. According to findings, 7 of the 19 clinical test results were independently linked to cardiac index. Clinical examination was not sufficient in multivariable analyses and in diagnostic accuracy tests for estimating cardiac index. The investigators concluded that further measurements like critical care ultrasonography are still necessary.