Irvine, Calif.-based Masimo announces the findings of a study published in the Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine in which Turkish researchers investigated the role that noninvasive, continuous Masimo PVi might play in monitoring volume status and volume changes in spontaneously breathing patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD).

The researchers found that there was a ā€œstrong correlationā€ between change in PVi and the volume of fluid removed, concluding that ā€œPVi may provide clinicians with useful information for monitoring the volume status in critically ill patients with spontaneous breathing.ā€

Noting that PVi has been studied mostly in mechanically ventilated patients, the researchers sought to investigate its ability to help assess volume changes in spontaneously breathing patients. They enrolled 60 adult patients with end-stage renal disease who received routine HD (during which fluid is removed simultaneously with the removal of waste solutes) and had a median of 3,500 cc of fluid removed during HD. PVi was measured using a Masimo pulse oximetry sensor attached to a Masimo Rootmonitor, before and after HD, and changes in PVi were compared to the amount of fluid removed during the session.

The researchers found that mean PVi showed a statistically significant increase after HD, from 20.7% Ā± 5% to 27.7% Ā± 6% (p < 0.001). Based on the amount of fluid removed during HD, the change in PVi was statistically significant (p = 0.015) and was strongly correlated to the volume of fluid removed (r = 0.744, p < 0.001).

ā€œIn the present study, we found that the fluid removed by HD in spontaneously breathing patients caused an increase in PVi and that this increase was strongly correlated with the amount of volume change,ā€ the Turkish researchers conclude. ā€œBedside monitoring of PVi, which is a noninvasive, fast, reproducible measurement parameter, may provide the clinicians with useful information for monitoring the volume status and evaluating the effectiveness of volumeā€‘restoration therapy in critically ill patients with spontaneous breathing.ā€

In the U.S., PVi is cleared as a noninvasive, dynamic indicator of fluid responsiveness in select populations of mechanically ventilated adult patients.