ArticleIntensive care medicine experimental2026
Association between VExUS score and worsening renal function during diuretic therapy in the ICU.
Article in Intensive care medicine experimental, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Interpreting VExUS and renal outcomes: the importance of construct validation in surgical ICU cohorts.Intensive care medicine experimental · 2026Article
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5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn intensive care unit (ICU) settings, venous excess ultrasound (VExUS) score has gained attention for predicting Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). This led to the identification that venous congestion via VExUS should prompt diuretic therapy. However, in acute heart failure (AHF), a share of the literature considers creatinine elevation as a sign of efficient decongestion. Thus, the relationship between VExUS, diuretic response, and renal outcomes remains unclear in ICU patients.
methodsSecondary analysis of a prospective observational study conducted in a cardiovascular ICU (2019-2022). Adult patients with clinical signs of fluid overload receiving loop diuretic treatment were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on their highest VExUS score severity over 24 h: congestive (VExUS ≥ 2) versus non-congestive (VExUS < 2). The primary outcome was WRF at ICU discharge. Secondary outcomes included diuretic response parameters, hemoconcentration, and distinction between "pseudo-WRF" (WRF with hemoconcentration) and "true-WRF" (WRF without hemoconcentration).
resultsSeventy-seven patients were analyzed (37 with VExUS < 2, 40 with VExUS ≥ 2). WRF occurred in 14 patients (37.8%) in the non-congestive group versus 8 patients (20.0%) in the congestive group (p = 0.139). No significant differences were observed between groups for diuretic response parameters: loop diuretic-adjusted diuresis at 2 h (545 vs 600 mL/40 mg, p = 0.950), natriuresis (104 vs 93.0 mmol/L, p = 0.355), cumulative fluid removal (-685 vs -1141 mL, p = 0.895), or cumulative loop diuretic prescription (120 vs 100 mg, p = 0.303). Hemoconcentration rates were similar between groups (48.6% vs 32.5%, p = 0.226), as were pseudo-WRF rates (16.2% vs 7.5%, p = 0.241).
conclusionsIn critically ill patients systematically treated with loop diuretics, VExUS score was not significantly associated with worsening renal function or diuretic response parameters. These preliminary findings suggest that larger studies may be needed to better understand the potential relationship between VExUS and renal outcomes in this patient population.
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