Use of power Doppler ultrasound to monitor renal perfusion during burn shock

Background Renal cortical blood flow can be quantified by means of power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) image analysis. We hypothesized that renal cortical perfusion, estimated by PDUS image intensity (PDUSII), would decrease during burn shock and improve during resuscitation in a porcine model. Methods Eight anesthetized swine sustained a 75% scald injury. Resuscitation began 6 h postburn. Renal cortical blood flow was measured directly using fluorescent microspheres (CORFLO), and was estimated noninvasively by PDUSII. PDUSII, CORFLO, and cardiopulmonary data were recorded every 2 h. Results PDUSII decreased significantly from preburn to postburn hour 6, and increased with resuscitation by hour 8. CORFLO correlated well with PDUS image intensity (n = 48, r2 = 0.696) but poorly with urine output (n = 48, r2 = 0.252). Conclusion PDUS in this study was superior to the urine output in assessing renal cortical microvascular blood flow during shock and resuscitation, and may be useful in the care of injured patients.