Lower vena cava response index as a predictor of hypovolemic shock due to gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage

Aim: to determine the response rate of the inferior vena cava as a predictor of hypovolemic shock due to bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract in patients in the Emergency Area of ​​the General Surgery Service of a General Hospital in Venezuela, during the period of February. to July 2024. Method: a study with a quantitative, non-experimental, predictive and longitudinal approach, with a sample of 15 patients. Results: the average age of the patients was 66.07 years, with a greater proportion of men (60%). Most patients had a medical history, with high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus being the most common. A significant increase in the diameter of the inferior vena cava was observed after the administration of fluids, going from 1.48 cm upon admission to 1.98 cm one hour after treatment (p=0.0000). Furthermore, an improvement was recorded in the degree of hypovolemic shock, with an increase in the percentage of patients with grade I and a decrease in patients with grade III (p=0.001). The inferior vena cava response index showed a sensitivity of 71.43% and a specificity of 75% to predict hypovolemic shock, with an AUC of 0.732, indicating good discriminative capacity.Conclusion: measuring the diameter of the inferior vena cava is a useful and clinically relevant predictor of hypovolemic shock in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, improving decision-making and the clinical results obtained.