Lung Ultrasound in ICU Admitted COVID-19 Patients; Can LUS Replace CT Chest

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Health Radiation Research Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background:
Patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can develop severe bilateral pneumonia leading to respiratory failure. We aimed to study the value of lung ultrasound (LUS) in patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU, in diagnosing pneumonia and predicting of prognosis of patients in comparison with CT chest, aiming to decrease the radiation exposure dose of patients during the disease from CT chest.
Patients & methods:
Retrospective study of the medical records of patients with confirmed COVID-19 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, who were admitted to ICU due to complications of covid-19 infection and underwent lung ultrasound and CT chest.
Results:
One hundred twenty-two patients were included. The LUS score was significantly related to the pneumonia severity in ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients and showed high significance associated with predicting mechanical ventilation and death (p<0.000), respectively.
Conclusion:
Our study showed that despite some limitations, LUS was a good predictor of pneumonia severity, mortality, and mechanical ventilation and can be used alone in the diagnosis and follow-up of ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients, to reduce exposure to unnecessary radiation.

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