An observational study in Venous Congestion and Postoperative Care, sponsored by Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-17.
Sponsored by Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín · Observational
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.
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.
98 studies on the registry are indexed under Hyperemia; 44 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 100 across 46 observational studies indexed under Hyperemia.
Browse Hyperemia studies →Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.
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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.
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 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.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Correlation between portal venous pulsatility index (portal PI) and splenic venous pulsatility index (splenic PI) measured by Doppler ultrasound.
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.
Time frame: Baseline assessment during the first 72 hours after admission to the postoperative intensive care unit.
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Nov 2027, 12 months later.
Of 28 observational studies under Hyperemia, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 27. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín