Assessment of LVOT VTI in Healthy Volunteers

Reproducibility, Intra- and Inter-Observer Variability of Bedside Cardiac Ultrasound Measurements in the Assessment of Hemodynamic Parameters in Healthy Volunteers

Healthy subjects will have transthoracic echocardiography evaluation of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Velocity-Time Integral (LVOT VTI) performed by operators after brief training.

VTI is an echocardiographic parameter used to assess a patient's hemodynamic status. VTI reflects the distance traveled by blood ejected from the left ventricle during systole, enabling non-invasive estimation of key circulatory parameters, including stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO).

Evidence suggests that even brief training combined with expert supervision allows novice operators to obtain measurements comparable to those of experienced clinicians, indicating a steep learning curve.

In this study, operators with minimal training will perform transthoracic echocardiography and measure LVOT VTI (in cm) in healthy volunteers. These measurements will subsequently be compared with those obtained by an experienced operator.

Aim: To assess the equivalence of LVOT VTI measurements obtained by minimally trained operators compared with those acquired by expert operators, as well as to evaluate inter-operator variability among participants. The findings may support the development and optimization of training programs for physicians in point-of-care echocardiography.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years,
• Medical student at Medical University of Warsaw or licensed physician.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age < 18 years,
• Prior experience in performing cardiac ultrasound examinations, including acquisition of apical five- and three-chamber views and Doppler measurements of LVOT VTI.