For a study, the researchers sought to find a link between lung ultrasound (LUS) findings and ARDS incidence, ICU hospitalization, and all-cause mortality as a composite in-hospital outcome. Adults with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled from non-ICU in-patient facilities in the prospective, multi-center observational research. The subjects were given an LUS that evaluated a total of 8 zones. Images were examined offline, with clinical factors and results hidden from view. To incorporate LUS findings, an LUS score was developed: more than or equal to 3 B-lines equaled a score of 1, confluent B-lines equaled a score of 2, and subpleural or lobar consolidation equaled a score of 3. The overall LUS score for each person ranged from 0 to 24. Of the 215 participants included, 168 had LUS data and no current indications of ARDS or ICU admission (mean age 59 years, 56% male). In more than or equal to 1 zone (≥3 B-lines, confluent B-lines, or consolidations), 136 (81%) of the individuals displayed pathologic LUS results. At baseline, participants with the composite result (n=31, 18%) had higher median C-reactive protein (90 mg/L vs 55, P=.001) and procalcitonin levels (0.35 μg/L vs 0.13, P=.033), as well as greater supplemental oxygen requirements (median 4 L/min vs 2, P=.001). However, in both unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses, LUS findings and scores did not change substantially between patients with and without the composite outcome. They were not linked with outcomes. Pathologic findings on LUS were common in this cohort of non-ICU hospitalized COVID-19 subjects a median of 3 days after admission. They did not differ between subjects who witnessed the composite outcome of incident ARDS, ICU admission, and all-cause mortality compared with subjects who did not. Future studies should corroborate these conclusions.
Source:rc.rcjournal.com/content/67/1/66
