Modified Lung Ultrasound Score for Assessing and Monitoring Pulmonary Aeration

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (05) ◽  
pp. 530-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Mongodi ◽  
Bélaïd Bouhemad ◽  
Anita Orlando ◽  
Andrea Stella ◽  
Guido Tavazzi ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Lung Ultrasound Score (LUSS) is a useful tool for lung aeration assessment but presents two theoretical limitations. First, standard LUSS is based on longitudinal scan and detection of number/coalescence of B lines. In the longitudinal scan pleura visualization is limited by intercostal space width. Moreover, coalescence of B lines to define severe loss of aeration is not suitable for non-homogeneous lung pathologies where focal coalescence is possible. We therefore compared longitudinal vs. transversal scan and also cLUSS (standard coalescence-based LUSS) vs. qLUSS (quantitative LUSS based on % of involved pleura). Materials and methods 38 ICU patients were examined in 12 thoracic areas in longitudinal and transversal scan. B lines (number, coalescence), subpleural consolidations (SP), pleural length and pleural involvement (> or ≤ 50 %) were assessed. cLUSS and qLUSS were computed in longitudinal and transversal scan. Results Transversal scan visualized wider (3.9 [IQR 3.8 – 3.9] vs 2.0 [1.6 – 2.5] cm, p < 0.0001) and more constant (variance 0.02 vs 0.34 cm, p < 0.0001) pleural length, more B lines (70 vs 59 % of scans, p < 0.0001), coalescence (39 vs 28 %, p < 0.0001) and SP (22 vs 14 %, p < 0.0001) compared to longitudinal scan. Pleural involvement > 50 % was observed in 17 % and coalescence in 33 % of cases. Focal coalescence accounted for 52 % of cases of coalescence. qLUSS-transv generated a different distribution of aeration scores compared to cLUSS-long (p < 0.0001). Conclusion In unselected ICU patients, variability of pleural length in longitudinal scans is high and focal coalescence is frequent. Transversal scan and quantification of pleural involvement are simple measures to overcome these limitations of LUSS.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie-Susanne Stecher ◽  
Sofia Anton ◽  
Alessia Fraccaroli ◽  
Jeremias Götschke ◽  
Hans Joachim Stemmler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Point-of-care lung ultrasound (LU) is an established tool in the first assessment of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of lung ultrasound in COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) patients in predicting clinical course and outcome. Methods We analyzed lung ultrasound score (LUS) of all COVID-19 patients admitted from March 2020 to December 2020 to the Internal Intensive Care Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) of Munich. LU was performed according to a standardized protocol at ICU admission and in case of clinical deterioration with the need for intubation. A normal lung scores 0 points, the worst LUS has 24 points. Patients were stratified in a low (0–12 points) and a high (13–24 points) lung ultrasound score group. Results The study included 42 patients, 69% of them male. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (81%) and obesity (57%). The values of pH (7.42 ± 0.09 vs 7.35 ± 0.1; p = 0.047) and paO2 (107 [80–130] vs 80 [66–93] mmHg; p = 0.034) were significantly reduced in patients of the high LUS group. Furthermore, the duration of ventilation (12.5 [8.3–25] vs 36.5 [9.8–70] days; p = 0.029) was significantly prolonged in this group. Patchy subpleural thickening (n = 38; 90.5%) and subpleural consolidations (n = 23; 54.8%) were present in most patients. Pleural effusion was rare (n = 4; 9.5%). The median total LUS was 11.9 ± 3.9 points. In case of clinical deterioration with the need for intubation, LUS worsened significantly compared to baseline LU. Twelve patients died during the ICU stay (29%). There was no difference in survival in both LUS groups (75% vs 66.7%, p = 0.559). Conclusions LU can be a useful monitoring tool to predict clinical course but not outcome of COVID-19 ICU patients and can early recognize possible deteriorations.


QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisham A Awad ◽  
Soha M Khafagy ◽  
Nivan T Ahmed ◽  
Basma M Shehata ◽  
Ayah M Shabana

Abstract Background Timing is crucial when deciding if a patient can be successfully extubated. Both premature discontinuation and unnecessary delay of mechanical ventilation weaning have been associated with poor outcome. There are no enough guidelines for the assessment of readiness of newborns for extubation. The degree of lung aeration loss in different clinical conditions can be quantified via lung ultrasound (LUS). Objectives To evaluate the lung ultrasound score as a follow up tool in ventilated neonates and its validity as predictor of extubation. Subjects and Methods Prospective study done on 39 mechanically ventilated neonates 27-42 weeks’ gestation. Lung ultrasound was done daily for each patient till the day of weaning and lung ultrasound (LUS) score was calculated. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to trial of weaning; Success “S” group: in which weaning succeeded and Failure “F” group: in which weaning failed. Results The “F” group had significantly higher LUS score at time of intubation, pre- extubation and post-extubation compared with the “S” group (P- value= 0.002, 0.003 and 0.001 respectively). A cut off value of ≤ 10 for LUS score pre-extubation predict successful weaning with sensitivity 76% and specificity 64.3%. Conclusion LUS is an indicator for lung aeration and can be used as a tool to predict success of weaning of ventilated neonates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliviero FOCHI ◽  
Alfio BRONCO ◽  
Mirco NACOTI ◽  
Davide SIGNORI ◽  
Stefano GATTI ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 1780182
Author(s):  
Cecilia Gomez Ravetti ◽  
Thiago Braganca Lana Silveira Ataide ◽  
Lidia Miranda Barreto ◽  
Fabricio De Lima Bastos ◽  
Angelica Gomide dos Reis Gomes ◽  
...  

Aims: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a sequential lung ultrasound score (LUS) in immunosuppressed patients with oncohematologic diseases and acute respiratory dysfunction hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU).Materials and methods: LUS was calculated at ICU admission, after 24 h, 48 h and at discharge. A score ranging from 0 to 26 was attributed according to the number of B lines, presence of lung consolidation and pleural effusion.Results: Twenty-six patients were included. The median age was 50 years [interquartile range (IQR) 21] and 14 (54%) were male. LUS on the day of ICU admission was significantly higher in non-survivors compared to survivors (13 [5] vs 9 [9], respectively; p=0.047). The median delta LUS (LUS_D2 – LUS_D1) did not show difference between survivors and non-survivors (2 [0-7.5] vs 1 [-1.5 – 5], p=0.33). Among patients initially submitted to noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV), no difference in LUS at inclusion or after 24 h was found between those who succeeded or failed on this support.Conclusion: The use of LUS to quantify lung aeration loss in oncohematologic patients hospitalized in an ICU due to acute respiratory dysfunction might be a helpful tool to predict the severity of the illness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2139
Author(s):  
Denise Battaglini ◽  
Salvatore Caiffa ◽  
Giovanni Gasti ◽  
Elena Ciaravolo ◽  
Chiara Robba ◽  
...  

Background: Respiratory physiotherapy (RPT) is considered essential in patients’ management during intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The role of RPT in critically ill COVID-19 patients is poorly described. We aimed to investigate the effects of RPT on oxygenation and lung aeration in critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Methods: Observational pre-post study. Patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, who received a protocolized CPT session and for which a pre-and post-RPT lung ultrasound (LUS) was performed, were included. A subgroup of patients had an available quantitative computed tomography (CT) scan performed within 4 days from RPT. The primary aim was to evaluate whether RPT improved oxygenation; secondary aims included correlations between LUS, CT and response to RPT. Results: Twenty patients were included. The median (1st–3rd quartile) PaO2/FiO2 was 181 (105–456), 244 (137–497) and 246 (137–482) at baseline (T0), after RPT (T1), and after 6 h (T2), respectively. PaO2/FiO2 improved throughout the study (p = 0.042); particularly, PaO2/FiO2 improved at T1 in respect to T0 (p = 0.011), remaining higher at T2 (p = 0.007) compared to T0. Correlations between LUS, volume of gas (rho = 0.58, 95%CI 0.05–0.85, p = 0.033) and hyper-aerated mass at CT scan (rho = 0.54, 95% CI 0.00–0.84, p = 0.045) were detected. No significant changes in LUS score were observed before and after RPT. Conclusions: RPT improved oxygenation and the improvement persisted after 6 h. Oxygenation improvement was not reflected by aeration changes assessed with LUS. Further studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of RPT in COVID-19 ICU patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 275-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Lu ◽  
DingQian Wu ◽  
YuZhi Gao ◽  
Mao Zhang

Objective: We assessed the evolution of lung aeration by “Lung Ultrasound Score” to predict the acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with paraquat intoxication. Methods: Patients with paraquat intoxication treated in the intensive care unit were reviewed. Patients who had been assessed by transthoracic lung ultrasound at 3 time points as day 1, day 3, and day 7 after the treatment were analyzed. Lung aeration was represented by the lung ultrasound score. The relationship of the score with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome was evaluated. Results: There were 50 patients included. On day 7, 18 patients developed the acute respiratory distress syndrome. The acute respiratory distress syndrome patients demonstrated a higher mortality rate than that for the non-acute respiratory distress syndrome patients (88.9% vs 31.5%, p < 0.001). In addition, the acute respiratory distress syndrome patients not only had a higher creatinine level (p < 0.001), and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment 48-h scores (p < 0.001), and a longer time to gastric lavage but also suffered from a lower PaO2/FiO2 (p < 0.001) and a higher lung ultrasound score (p < 0.001) compared to those in the non-acute respiratory distress syndrome patients. The decrease in PaO2/FiO2 between day 3 and day 7 correlated with the increase in lung ultrasound score between day 3 and day 7. There was also a significant correlation between the Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score and lung ultrasound score in acute respiratory distress syndrome patient on day 7. Conclusion: The transthoracic lung ultrasound may be a useful tool for lung aeration assessment on patients with paraquat intoxication receiving treatment. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of this screening strategy on predicting acute respiratory distress syndrome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Yasukawa ◽  
Taro Minami ◽  
David R. Boulware ◽  
Ayako Shimada ◽  
Ernest A. Fischer

Background: The prognostic value of point-of-care lung ultrasound has not been evaluated in a large cohort of patients with COVID-19 admitted to general medicine ward in the United States. The aim of this study was to describe lung ultrasound findings and their prognostic value in patients with COVID-19 admitted to internal medicine ward. Method: This prospective observational study consecutively enrolled 105 hospitalized participants with COVID-19 at 2 tertiary care centers. Ultrasound was performed in 12 lung zones within 24 hours of admission. Findings were assessed relative to 4 outcomes: intensive care unit (ICU) need, need for intensive respiratory support, length of stay, and death. Results: We detected abnormalities in 92% (97/105) of participants. The common findings were confluent B-lines (92%), non-homogenous pleural lines (78%), and consolidations (54%). Large confluent B-lines, consolidations, bilateral involvement, and any abnormality in ≥ 6 areas were associated with a longer hospitalization and need for intensive respiratory support. Large confluent B-lines and bilateral involvement were also associated with ICU stay. A total lung ultrasound score <5 had a negative predictive value of 100% for the need of intensive respiratory support. A higher total lung ultrasound score was associated with ICU need (median total 18 in the ICU group vs. 11 non-ICU, p = 0.004), a hospitalization ≥ 9d (15 vs 10, p = 0.016) and need for intensive respiratory support (18 vs. 8.5, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had lung ultrasound abnormalities on admission and a higher lung ultrasound score was associated with worse clinical outcomes except death. A low total lung ultrasound score (<5) had a negative predictive value of 100% for the need of intensive respiratory support. Point-of-care ultrasound can aid in the risk stratification for patients with COVID-19 admitted to general wards.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adi Ciumanghel ◽  
Ianis Siriopol ◽  
Mihaela Blaj ◽  
Dimitrie Siriopol ◽  
Cristina Gavrilovici ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Jorge Camacho ◽  
Mario Muñoz ◽  
Vicente Genovés ◽  
Joaquín L. Herraiz ◽  
Ignacio Ortega ◽  
...  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lung ultrasound has been revealed as a powerful technique for diagnosis and follow-up of pneumonia, the principal complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nevertheless, being a relatively new and unknown technique, the lack of trained personnel has limited its application worldwide. Computer-aided diagnosis could possibly help to reduce the learning curve for less experienced physicians, and to extend such a new technique such as lung ultrasound more quickly. This work presents the preliminary results of the ULTRACOV (Ultrasound in Coronavirus disease) study, aimed to explore the feasibility of a real-time image processing algorithm for automatic calculation of the lung ultrasound score (LUS). A total of 28 patients positive on COVID-19 were recruited and scanned in 12 thorax zones following the lung score protocol, saving a 3 s video at each probe position. Those videos were evaluated by an experienced physician and by a custom developed automated detection algorithm, looking for A-Lines, B-Lines, consolidations, and pleural effusions. The agreement between the findings of the expert and the algorithm was 88.0% for B-Lines, 93.4% for consolidations and 99.7% for pleural effusion detection, and 72.8% for the individual video score. The standard deviation of the patient lung score difference between the expert and the algorithm was ±2.2 points over 36. The exam average time with the ULTRACOV prototype was 5.3 min, while with a conventional scanner was 12.6 min. Conclusion: A good agreement between the algorithm output and an experienced physician was observed, which is a first step on the feasibility of developing a real-time aided-diagnosis lung ultrasound equipment. Additionally, the examination time was reduced to less than half with regard to a conventional ultrasound exam. Acquiring a complete lung ultrasound exam within a few minutes is possible using fairly simple ultrasound machines that are enhanced with artificial intelligence, such as the one we propose. This step is critical to democratize the use of lung ultrasound in these difficult times.


Author(s):  
G. Peschel ◽  
E.M. Jung ◽  
C. Fisser ◽  
F.J. Putz ◽  
T. Wertheimer ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause acute respiratory distress Syndrome (ARDS). OBJECTIVE: This single centre cross-section study aimed to grade the severity of pneumonia by bed-side lung ultrasound (LUS). METHODS: A scoring system discriminates 5 levels of lung opacities: A-lines (0 points),≥3 B-Line (1 point), coalescent B-Lines (2 points), marked pleural disruptions (3 points), consolidations (4 points). LUS (convex 1–5 MHz probe) was performed at 6 defined regions for each hemithorax either in supine or prone position. A lung aeration score (LAS, maximum 4 points) was allocated for each patient by calculating the arithmetic mean of the examined lung areas. Score levels were correlated with ventilation parameters and laboratory markers. RESULTS: LAS of 20 patients with ARDS reached from 2.58 to 3.83 and was highest in the lateral right lobe (Mean 3.67). Ferritin levels (Mean 1885μg/l; r = 0.467; p = 0.051) showed moderate correlation in spearman roh calculation. PaCO2 level (Mean 46.75 mmHg; r = 0.632; p = 0.005) correlated significantly with LAS, while duration of ventilation, Horovitz-Index, CRP, LDH and IL-6 did not. CONCUSIONS: The proposed LAS describes severity of lung opacities in COVID-19 patients and correlates with CO2 retention in patients with ARDS.


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