Functional echocardiography as a tool for the dynamic treatment evaluation in critically ill neonates

Abstract

Introduction: It is still controversy about the usefulness of functional echocardiography (FnEC) in critically ill neonates. Objective: To analyze the usefulness of the FnEC in the treatment decisions in neonates admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Materials and methods: A year prospective study in a NICU. A trained cardiologist performed a FnEC to 72 h of life patients to evaluate the cardiac function and heart structure. We analyzed the clinical decisions after the findings. Results: 37 neonates underwent two FnEC: at the diagnosis and at follow-up. Eleven patients (29.7%) had structural and functional abnormalities, 9 (24.3%) only functional, 7 (18.9%) only structural, and in the rest, 10 (27%), were normal. Al least one change in the management occurred in 70% of the patients. The main changes were to the ventilatory support (63%), followed by inotropic support (19.5%) and fluid intake (10.8%). In all changes, we observed an improvement in the clinical conditions of the neonates. Conclusions: The FnEC allowed to determinate the cardiovascular structures and hemodynamic conditions of the patients and make a more precise therapeutic modifications.