Inflammatory lung edema correlates with echocardiographic estimation of capillary wedge pressure in newly diagnosed septic patients

Abstract Purpose Lung ultrasound is an accurate and accessible tool to quantify lung edema. Furthermore, left ventricle filling pressures (LVFP) can be assessed with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) by the E/e′ ratio (E/e′). The present study aimed to assess the correlation between E/e′ and lung edema quantified by a simplified lung ultrasound score (LUS) in newly admitted septic patients. Materials and methods In this prospective observational cohort, septic adult patients admitted at the emergency department of a tertiary hospital were included. LUS consisted of four different patterns of lung edema (from normal aeration to parenchymal consolidation). To compare lung edema with LVFP, E/e′ was calculated immediately before or within 5 min of fluid therapy. Results Fifty patients were enrolled in 3 months. The LUS correlated with E/e′ ( r  = 0.58, P  7.11; P  = 0.0003 for Q1 and 4; 2 and 4); and LUS was significantly higher in abnormal (≥ 8) vs. normal ( P  = 0.007). Conclusion In newly admitted septic patients, lung edema is positively correlated with LVFP prior to fluid therapy. This finding might help find future targets for fluid resuscitation in sepsis.