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Both inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and the degree of inspiratory collapse are used in the estimation of right atrial pressure.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of IVC diameter, using echocardiography as a marker of volume overload and the relationship between these parameters and N-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with systolic heart failure (HF).

We included 136 consecutive patients with systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction, < 50%), including 80 patients with acutely decompensated HF and 56 patients with compensated HF as well as 50 subjects without a diagnosis of HF. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography to assess both their IVC diameters and the degree of inspiratory collapse (≥ 50%, < 50%, and no change [absence] groups); NT-proBNP levels were measured, and these data were compared between the 2 …