Impact of Systematic Point-of-Care Ultrasound Implementation on Clinical Outcomes and Survival in Septic Shock: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study

Impact of Systematic Implementation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound on Clinical Course and Survival in Patients With Septic Shock: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study

This study aims to evaluate the clinical impact of the systematic implementation of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the management of patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Septic shock is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and its management requires timely and accurate hemodynamic assessment. Traditional monitoring methods have limitations in evaluating cardiac function, fluid responsiveness, and tissue perfusion. POCUS provides real-time, bedside, non-invasive assessment that may improve clinical decision-making.

This is a retrospective, single-center cohort study comparing two time periods: a pre-implementation cohort (2016-2019) and a post-implementation cohort (2022-2025), excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period. The primary objective is to assess whether the implementation of POCUS is associated with an improvement in early organ dysfunction, measured as the change in SOFA score at 48 hours (delta SOFA). Secondary outcomes include mortality at 28, 60, and 90 days, incidence of acute kidney injury, duration of organ support therapies, and length of ICU and hospital stay.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥18 years
• Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) with a clinical diagnosis or suspicion of septic shock
• Microbiological confirmation of infection during clinical course
• Availability of data required to calculate SOFA score at ICU admission and at 48 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

• ICU admissions during the period 2020-2021
• Readmissions related to the same episode of septic shock
• Missing data required for SOFA score calculation
• Patients with limitation of life-sustaining therapies