Echocardiographic Assessment of Sepsis

Echocardiographic assessment was performed 24 h after the CLP or LPS procedure in all experimental groups, including the control group. Echocardiographic imaging was conducted using a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 system equipped with an MS400 linear array transducer on mice anesthetized with 1% isoflurane. Mice were imaged at baseline (sham operated) and 24 h post-CLP or LPS, following a previously described protocol [21 (link),22 (link)]. To assess cardiac output, the recordings of at least 10 independent cardiac cycles for each experiment were analyzed. Cardiac output, the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute, was then calculated based on these echocardiographic measurements, taking into consideration the heart rate, stroke volume, and the dimensions of the left ventricle. This method provides a comprehensive evaluation of the heart’s capacity to meet the body’s circulatory needs under septic conditions.