Table 4. Recent literature on POCUS, systemic venous congestion, and VExUS.

POCUS: point-of-care ultrasound, IVC: inferior vena cava, AKI: acute kidney injury, VExUS: venous excess ultrasound score, RAP: right atrial pressure, ADHF: acute decompensated heart failure, AHF: acute heart failure

Study origin and published date	Study design and author	Study population and sample size	Inferences
Canada, April 2020	Post-hoc analysis of data from a prospective cohort study, Beaubien-Souligny et al. [34]	Patients who are 18 years or older, not critically ill, and undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, 145	By using a variety of POCUS markers, it is possible to identify venous congestion that is clinically significant. If severe flow abnormalities are present in multiple Doppler patterns along with an enlarged IVC (≥2 cm), it is considered severe venous congestion. This condition is strongly associated with the development of AKI in the future
West Indies, December 2021	Case report, Singh et al. [35]	A case of dilated cardiomyopathy with systemic venous congestion undergoing non-cardiac surgery.	VExUS identify organ congestion, which can help heart failure patients. This information guides decongestive therapy and reduces the risk of postoperative complications
Spain, February 2023	Prospective cohort, Torres-Arrese et al. [36]	AHF patients, 74	On admission, mortality can be predicted by intra-renal venous Doppler assessment, VExUS score, and pulsatility over 50%. An IVC larger than 2 cm and an intra-renal monophasic pattern can accurately predict the risk of re-admission
India, September 2020	Prospective cohort, Bhardwaj et al. [37]	Patients with cardiorenal syndrome, 30	Combined evaluation of IVC, hepatic vein, and portal vein grading could be a reliable way to display venous congestion and help guide the decision to remove the fluid
Mexico, Jan 2021	Case series, Argaiz et al. [38]	Patients with ADHF, 12	Using POCUS to assess abdominal venous congestion can assist in identifying and monitoring patients with congestive kidney injury and guide decongestive therapy in patients with ADHF
United States, May 2023	Prospective observational study, Longino et al. [39]	Patients undergoing right heart catheterization, 56	A significant connection is present between VExUS and RAP across a range of patients, providing evidence for further exploration of VExUS to evaluate venous congestion and direct treatment for various critical conditions