The accuracy of the new non-invasive intra-abdominal pressure measurement by physical examination and ultrasound to diagnose intra-abdominal hypertension: The research protocol

Background: Twenty-five percent of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit have intra-abdominal hypertension, which causes high morbidity and mortality. The gold standard non-invasive method for measuring intra-abdominal pressure to diagnose intra-abdominal hypertension is intravesical pressure measurement. Unfortunately, the standard method has several limitations. The aim of this study is to invent a new, non-invasive method to diagnose intra-abdominal hypertension. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study to determine the accuracy of the new non-invasive intra-abdominal pressure measurement by physical examination and ultrasound to diagnose intra-abdominal hypertension compared to the intravesical pressure measurement. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that physical examination and ultrasound can be used to diagnose intra-abdominal hypertension and the ratio of maximal anteroposterior to transverse abdominal diameter minus fat thickness and intra-abdominal pressure has a correlation. Ethics and dissemination: The study received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. We plan to disseminate the results in peer-reviewed journals related to critical care medicine or surgery and at national or international conferences.