Intra- and Inter-Operator Reliability of Internal Jugular Vein Ultrasound Image Acquisition by Ultrasound-Naive Nurses.
- 1Faculty of Nursing, Ishikawa Prefectural Nursing University, 1-1, Gakuendai, Kahoku 929-1210, Ishikawa, Japan.
- 2Department of Health Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Fukuoka, Japan.
Abstract
Background: Venous congestion assessment is essential in heart failure management. Inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasonography has been widely used to determine fluid status but may not always provide satisfactory images. Hence, internal jugular vein (IJV) ultrasonography has been proposed as an alternative; however, the reliability of IJV ultrasound image acquisition by nurses without previous clinical ultrasound experience remains unclear. This study evaluated the intra- and inter-operator reliability of IJV ultrasound image acquisition by nurses without previous clinical ultrasound experience. Methods: Two nurses without prior clinical ultrasound experience acquired right IJV ultrasound images after preparatory training. Short-axis cine loops were obtained during quiet breathing and the Valsalva maneuver in healthy adults. A single investigator measured the major and minor diameters from selected still frames. Intra- and inter-operator reliability were then assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), after which agreement was evaluated by Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Both nurses successfully acquired IJV images suitable for subsequent quantitative analysis from all participants. Intra-operator reliability ranged from good to excellent, with ICC (1, 1) values of 0.765-0.967. Meanwhile, inter-operator reliability ranged from moderate to excellent, with ICC (2, 1) values of 0.629-0.916. Bland-Altman analysis revealed fixed bias in three parameters but no proportional bias. Absolute bias was <1 mm for all measurements. Conclusions: Following preparatory training, nurses without prior clinical ultrasound experience were able to acquire IJV ultrasound images with moderate-to-excellent inter-operator and good-to-excellent intra-operator relative reliability.
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BibTeX
@article{tamura2026intra,
title = {{Intra- and Inter-Operator Reliability of Internal Jugular Vein Ultrasound Image Acquisition by Ultrasound-Naive Nurses.}},
author = {Yukie Tamura and Kazumi Ishii and Miharu Matsumoto and Hiromitsu Kobayashi},
journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14193272},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881711},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Intra- and Inter-Operator Reliability of Internal Jugular Vein Ultrasound Image Acquisition by Ultrasound-Naive Nurses.
AU - Yukie Tamura
AU - Kazumi Ishii
AU - Miharu Matsumoto
AU - Hiromitsu Kobayashi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/healthcare14193272
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881711
AB - Background: Venous congestion assessment is essential in heart failure management. Inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasonography has been widely used to determine fluid status but may not always provide satisfactory images. Hence, internal jugular vein (IJV) ultrasonography has been proposed as an alternative; however, the reliability of IJV ultrasound image acquisition by nurses without previous clinical ultrasound experience remains unclear. This study evaluated the intra- and inter-operator reliability of IJV ultrasound image acquisition by nurses without previous clinical ultrasound experience. Methods: Two nurses without prior clinical ultrasound experience acquired right IJV ultrasound images after preparatory training. Short-axis cine loops were obtained during quiet breathing and the Valsalva maneuver in healthy adults. A single investigator measured the major and minor diameters from selected still frames. Intra- and inter-operator reliability were then assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), after which agreement was evaluated by Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Both nurses successfully acquired IJV images suitable for subsequent quantitative analysis from all participants. Intra-operator reliability ranged from good to excellent, with ICC (1, 1) values of 0.765-0.967. Meanwhile, inter-operator reliability ranged from moderate to excellent, with ICC (2, 1) values of 0.629-0.916. Bland-Altman analysis revealed fixed bias in three parameters but no proportional bias. Absolute bias was <1 mm for all measurements. Conclusions: Following preparatory training, nurses without prior clinical ultrasound experience were able to acquire IJV ultrasound images with moderate-to-excellent inter-operator and good-to-excellent intra-operator relative reliability.
SN - 2227-9032
ER -