The following is a summary of “Lung ultrasonography derived B-line scores as predictors of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and pulmonary artery wedge pressure,” published in the NOVEMBER 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Garcia, et al.

The non-invasive assessment of elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) in patients with heart diseases poses a challenge. Lung ultrasonography (LUS) has emerged as a promising modality for predicting LVEDP and PAWP.

For a study, researchers included fifty-seven stable ambulatory patients who underwent both right and left heart catheterization. Following these procedures, LUS was conducted in twenty-eight ultrasonographic zones, and the correlation between five different LUS-derived B-line scores with LVEDP and PAWP was examined.

The B-line index correlated with LVEDP and PAWP, with coefficients of 0.45 (P = 0.006) and 0.30 (P = 0.03), respectively. The B-line index exhibited an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.76 for identifying LVEDP > 15 mmHg (P = 0.01) and an AUC of 0.73 for identifying PAWP > 15 mmHg (P = 0.008). The scores performed similarly in predicting LVEDP or PAWP > 15 mmHg. A B-line index ≥ 28 was significantly associated with LVEDP > 15 mmHg (OR: 9.97) and PAWP > 15 mmHg (OR: 6.61), adjusted for age and indication for heart catheterization.

LUS-derived B-line scores exhibited a moderate correlation with PAWP and LVEDP in patients with heart diseases. A B-line index ≥ 28 proved useful in predicting elevated LVEDP and PAWP with high specificity.

Source: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00303-7/fulltext