Correlation analysis between lung ultrasound scores and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure in patients with acute heart failure admitted to the emergency intensive care unit

Background

No convenient, inexpensive, and non-invasive screening tools exist to identify pulmonary hypertension (PH) - left heart disease (LHD) patients during the early stages of the disease course. This study investigated whether different methods of lung ultrasound (LUS) could be used for the initial investigation of PH-LHD.

Methods

This was a single-center prospective observational study which was performed in the Zigong Fourth People's Hospital. We consecutively enrolled patients with heart failure (HF) admitted to the emergency intensive care unit from January 2018 to May 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography and LUS were performed within 24 h before discharge. We used the Spearman coefficient for correlation analysis between ultrasound scores and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP). Bland-Altman plots were generated to inspect possible bias, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to assess the relationship between ultrasound scores and an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH-LHD.

Results

Seventy-one patients were enrolled in this study, with an overall median age of 79 (interquartile range: 71.5-84.0) years. Among the 71 patients, 36 (50.7%) cases were male, and 26 (36.6%) had an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH. All four LUS scores in patients with an intermediate and high probability of PH were significantly higher than in patients with a low probability of PH (P <0.05). The correlation coefficient (r) between different LUS scoring methods and PASP was moderate for the 6-zone (r=0.455, P <0.001), 8-zone (r=0.385, P=0.001), 12-zone (r=0.587, P <0.001), and 28-zone (r=0.535, P <0.001) methods. In Bland-Altman plots, each of the four LUS scoring methods had a good agreement with PASP (P <0.001). The 8-zone and 12-zone methods showed moderately accurate discriminative values in differentiating patients with an intermediate and high echocardiographic probability of PH (P <0.05).

Conclusions

LUS is a readily available, inexpensive, and risk-free method that moderately correlates with PASP. LUS is a potential screening tool used for the initial investigation of PH-LHD, especially in emergencies or critical care settings.

Lung Ultrasound Findings in a Patient with Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis

How to cite this article: Bhattacharjee S, Prasanna M, Maitra S, Ray BR. Lung Ultrasound Findings in a Patient with Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(1):82-83.

Lung ultrasound and high-resolution computed tomography quantitative variations during nintedanib treatment for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease

OBJECTIVES

Lung ultrasound (LUS) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) are commonly used for the evaluation of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Nintedanib (NIN) is an antifibrotic therapy approved for systemic sclerosis-associated ILD (SSc-ILD). We assessed LUS and quantitative HRCT changes in SSc-ILD patients treated with NIN during a one-year follow-up, evaluating relationships between imaging variations and functional or quality-of-life outcomes.

METHODS

SSc-ILD patients who started NIN were enrolled and followed for twelve months. Pulmonary function tests and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed half-yearly and quarterly, respectively. LUS was performed quarterly evaluating the presence of B-lines (BL) and pleural line irregularities (PLI). HRCT was repeated after one year and quantitatively analysed with CALIPER software.

RESULTS

Ten patients (70% female, mean age 62 years) were enrolled. The mean total number of both BL and PLI was constantly decreased during NIN treatment, being significantly reduced after twelve months (from 175.1 ± 66.7-120.8 ± 70.3 for BL, p= 0.005 and from 50.6 ± 32.5-37.2 ± 22.4 for PLI, p= 0.05). Male gender, smoking habit and baseline forced vital capacity <70% predicted were associated with worse LUS outcomes. A greater reduction of both BL and PLI was observed in those who improved in PROMs, especially modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (p= 0.016 and p= 0.04, respectively) and Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (p= 0.006 and p= 0.026, respectively). No significant changes in the CALIPER percentages of normal parenchyma or ILD elements were observed after twelve months of NIN, thus paralleling the stabilization obtained at pulmonary function tests.

CONCLUSIONS

We present preliminary results on NIN effects on SSc-ILD as assessed by LUS, a useful method for frequently repeated monitoring, and CALIPER, a valid implementation whenever a HRCT is performed.

The impact of lung ultrasound assessment during a whole lung lavage: A paediatric case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis

Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the first-line treatment for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. We hypothesized that lung ultrasound (LUS) would guide flooding during treatment in a 15-year-old boy. WLL of each lung consisted of instillation of saline followed by kinesiotherapy and fluid drainage. In the first WLL, the lung was repeatedly flooded until the lavage fluid was clear on macroscopic examination. During this process, LUS was used to visualise lung aeration. In the second WLL, we used LUS signs to guide the lavage volume. The appearance of the fluid bronchogram sign showed that saline infusion could be stopped earlier than in the first lavage. In conclusion, LUS helped monitor the different stages of controlled lung de-aeration during WLL and reduce the total amount of saline used. This technique will also reduce the risk of WLL-related complications.

Comparison of chest radiograph and lung ultrasound in children with acute respiratory failure

PURPOSE

Chest x-ray (CXR) is the standard imaging used to evaluate children in acute respiratory distress and failure. Our objective was to compare the lung-imaging techniques of CXR and lung ultrasound (LUS) in the evaluation of children with acute respiratory failure (ARF) to quantify agreement and to determine which technique identified a higher frequency of pulmonary abnormalities.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of LUS in children with ARF from 12/2018 to 02/2020 completed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA). Children > 37.0 weeks corrected gestational age and ≤ 18 years of age admitted to the PICU with ARF were evaluated with LUS. We compared CXR and LUS completed within 6 h of each other. Kappa statistics (k) adjusted for maximum attainable agreement (k/kmax) were used to quantify agreement between imaging techniques and descriptive statistics were used to describe the frequency of abnormalities.

RESULTS

Eighty-eight children had LUS completed, 32 with concomitant imaging completed within 6 h are included. There was fair agreement between LUS and CXR derived diagnoses with 58% agreement (k/kmax = 0.36). Evaluation of imaging patterns included: normal, 57% agreement (k = 0.032); interstitial pattern, 47% agreement (k = 0.003); and consolidation, 65% agreement (k = 0.29). CXR identified more imaging abnormalities than LUS.

CONCLUSIONS

There is fair agreement between CXR and LUS-derived diagnoses in children with ARF. Given this, clinicians should consider the benefits and limitations of specific imaging modalities when evaluating children with ARF. Additional studies are necessary to further define the role of LUS in pediatric ARF given the small sample size of our study.

Advancing healthcare through thoracic ultrasound research in older patients

This paper reports the proceedings of a meeting convened by the Research Group on Thoracic Ultrasound in Older People of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, to discuss the current state-of-the-art of clinical research in the field of geriatric thoracic ultrasound and identify unmet research needs and potential areas of development. In the last decade, point-of-care thoracic ultrasound has entered clinical practice for diagnosis and management of several respiratory illnesses, such as bacterial and viral pneumonia, pleural effusion, acute heart failure, and pneumothorax, especially in the emergency-urgency setting. Very few studies, however, have been specifically focused on older patients with frailty and multi-morbidity, who frequently exhibit complex clinical pictures needing multidimensional evaluation. At the present state of knowledge, there is still uncertainty on the best requirements of ultrasound equipment, methodology of examination, and reporting needed to optimize the advantages of thoracic ultrasound implementation in the care of geriatric patients. Other issues regard differential diagnosis between bacterial and aspiration pneumonia, objective grading of interstitial syndrome severity, quantification and monitoring of pleural effusions and solid pleural lesions, significance of ultrasonographic assessment of post-COVID-19 sequelae, and prognostic value of assessment of diaphragmatic thickness and motility. Finally, application of remote ultrasound diagnostics in the community and nursing home setting is still poorly investigated by the current literature. Overall, the presence of several open questions on geriatric applications of thoracic ultrasound represents a strong call to implement clinical research in this field.

Prevalence of exercise-induced oxygen desaturation after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and use of lung ultrasound to predict need for pulmonary rehabilitation

BACKGROUND

Persistence of breathlessness after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is frequent. Recovery from acute respiratory failure (ARF) is usually determined by normalized arterial blood gases (ABGs), but the prevalence of persistent exercise-induced desaturation (EID) and dyspnea is still unknown.

METHODS

We investigated the prevalence of EID in 70 patients with normal arterial oxygen at rest after recovery from ARF due to COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients underwent a 6-min walking test (6MWT) before discharge from hospital. We recorded dyspnea score and heart rate during 6MWT. We also investigated the possible role of lung ultrasound (LU) in predicting EID. Patients underwent a LU scan and scores for each explored area were summed to give a total LU score.

RESULTS

In 30 patients (43%), oxygen desaturation was >4% during 6MWT. These patients had significantly higher dyspnea and heart rate compared to non-desaturators. LU score >8.5 was significantly able to discriminate patients with EID.

CONCLUSION

In SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, ABGs at discharge cannot predict the persistence of EID, which is frequent. LU may be useful to identify patients at risk who could benefit from a rehabilitation program.

Association of Lung Ultrasound B-Lines with Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Clinically Euvolemic Haemodialysis Patients

INTRODUCTION

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) frequently occurs in haemodialysis patients and is associated with adverse outcomes. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been recently proposed for the quantification of extravascular lung water through assessment of B-lines. LUS findings and their relationship with LVDD in clinically euvolemic haemodialysis patients were investigated in this study.

METHODS

Echocardiography and LUS examinations were performed on each patient. Multivariate linear regression and forward stepwise logistic regression were performed to determine the relationship between B-lines and LVDD. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to determine the accuracy of B-lines for evaluating LVDD.

RESULTS

A total of 119 patients were enrolled. The number of B-lines was statistically related to echocardiographic parameters (LAVI, LVEDVI, E/A, and E/e') of diastolic function, while the relationship between B-lines and LVEF disappeared after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Additionally, compared with the mild B-line group (B-lines: <14), the moderate (B-lines: 14-30) and severe B-line groups (B-lines: >30) were associated with an increased risk of LVDD (OR 24.344, 95% CI 4.854-122.084, p < 0.001, and OR 94.552, 95% CI 9.617-929.022, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the AUC of the ROC curve for B-lines predicting LVDD was 0.845, and the cut-off of B-lines was 14.5 (sensitivity 64.91%, specificity 93.55%).

CONCLUSION

LUS B-lines were closely associated with left ventricular diastolic function in clinically euvolemic haemodialysis patients. Moreover, our findings suggested a B-line ≥14.5 as a reliable cut-off value for identifying patients with LVDD. LUS B-lines may be used as a novel indicator for evaluating LVDD.

Lung ultrasound for the early diagnosis of acute lung injury: A case report

BACKGROUND

The extensive availability of ultrasound (US) technology has increased its use for point-of-care applications in many health care settings. During anaesthesia and surgery, acute respiratory failure or pulmonary oedema are common life-threatening events that, if not recognized and treated appropriately, result in a high mortality rate.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a patient under anaesthesia whose lung US examination showed multiple vertical artefacts (B-lines) in the lung tissue, indicating pulmonary oedema. The respiratory state improved with the resolution of the pulmonary oedema after our treatment.

CONCLUSION

We believe that US of the lungs may be a useful tool for dynamic respiratory monitoring at the bedside during anaesthesia.

Lung UltrasouNd Guided surfactant therapy in preterm infants: an international multicenter randomized control trial (LUNG study)

BACKGROUND

The management of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature newborns is based on different types of non-invasive respiratory support and on surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) to avoid mechanical ventilation as it may eventually result in lung damage. European guidelines currently recommend SRT only when the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) exceeds 0.30. The literature describes that early SRT decreases the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and mortality. Lung ultrasound score (LUS) in preterm infants affected by RDS has proven to be able to predict the need for SRT and different single-center studies have shown that LUS may increase the proportion of infants that received early SRT. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine if the use of LUS as a decision tool for SRT in preterm infants affected by RDS allows for the reduction of the incidence of BPD or death in the study group.

METHODS/DESIGN

In this study, 668 spontaneously-breathing preterm infants, born at 25+0 to 29+6 weeks' gestation, in nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) will be randomized to receive SRT only when the FiO2 cut-off exceeds 0.3 (control group) or if the LUS score is higher than 8 or the FiO2 requirements exceed 0.3 (study group) (334 infants per arm). The primary outcome will be the difference in proportion of infants with BPD or death in the study group managed compared to the control group.

DISCUSSION

Based on previous published studies, it seems that LUS may decrease the time to administer surfactant therapy. It is known that early surfactant administration decreases BPD and mortality. Therefore, there is rationale for hypothesizing a reduction in BPD or death in the group of patients in which the decision to administer exogenous surfactant is based on lung ultrasound scores.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05198375 . Registered on 20 January 2022.

Author Reply: Lung Ultrasound Score-Does It Really Predict Extubation Failure?

How to cite this article: Rajbanshi LK, Bajracharya A, Devkota D. Author Reply-lung Ultrasound Score-Does It Really Predict Extubation Failure? Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(11):857-858.

Lung Ultrasound, Echocardiography, and Fluid Challenge for the Differential Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension

OBJECTIVES

The differential diagnosis between pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and postcapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is sometimes difficult despite guidelines-derived standardized step-by-step diagnostic algorithms. We therefore explored the added value of lung ultrasound to a previously validated echocardiographic score of right heart catheterization measurements.

METHODS

Patients referred for PH underwent a right heart catheterization, echocardiography, and lung ultrasound before and after rapid infusion of 7 mL/kg of saline. A 7-point echocardiographic score based on cardiac chamber dimensions and estimates of filling pressures was implemented for the prediction of precapillary PH. Pulmonary congestion was identified by lung ultrasound B lines.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 70 patients with PAH and 77 patients with HFpEF. The PAH patients had a higher echocardiographic score (3.5 ± 1.8 vs 1.6 ± 1.5; P < .001). The HFpEF patients had more B lines both before (8.1 ± 4.2 vs 5.1 ± 3.0; P < .001) and after fluid challenge (14.6 ± 5.4 vs 7.6 ± 3.5; P < .001) and a more important increase (Δ) of B lines after fluid challenge (6.5 ± 2.9 vs 2.5 ± 1.6; P < .001). The sensitivity and specificity of the echocardiographic score (cutoff ≥2) alone for PAH were 0.91 and 0.49, respectively (area under the curve of 0.78). The best diagnostic improvement was observed with addition of ΔB lines + E/e' post-fluid challenge to the echocardiographic score, with a significant increase of the area under the curve (0.98) and (with a cutoff given by the presence of echo score ≥2, ΔB lines <4 and E/e' post < 11) a sensitivity of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83; 0.97) and specificity of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.76; 0.93).

CONCLUSIONS

Lung ultrasound combined with echocardiography at baseline and after fluid challenge has an incremental value for the differential diagnosis between PAH and PH-HFpEF.

Comparison of the prognostic value, feasibility, and reproducibility among different scoring methods of 8‑point lung ultrasonography in patients with acute heart failure

There is no strong evidence that one of the B-line quantification approaches is clinically superior to the others, as the use of lung ultrasound (LUS) protocol becomes more commonplace in the treatment of heart failure (HF). This study, thus, aimed to evaluate to the prognostic value, feasibility, and reproducibility for selecting optimal B-line quantification methods. We enrolled patients with HF admitted to the emergency intensive care unit (EICU) in a single-center, prospective, observational study. LUS were performed before EICU discharge, and six B-line quantification methods were used to calculate scores. A total of 71 patients were enrolled. There was a moderately good discriminative value between six quantification methods and the composite outcome. The calibration curve of six B-line quantification methods for the probability of the composite outcome showed good agreement between prediction and observation. Decision curve presented that six B-line quantification methods presented similar net benefits at the entire range of threshold probabilities. Image interpretation time of Quantitative methods 1 and 2 was significantly less than that of other methods. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for B-pattern scoring systems (Quantitative methods 1 and 2) between two experts demonstrated the excellent level of clinical significance. Despite the similar discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness, pattern-B scoring systems have the benefit of the feasibility and reproducibility over other methods.

An international survey exploring the adoption and utility of diagnostic lung ultrasound by physiotherapists and respiratory therapists in intensive care

Introduction

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is an emerging assessment tool for intensive care unit (ICU) therapists (physiotherapists, physical therapists and respiratory therapists) to aid pathology identification, intervention selection, clinical reasoning and as an outcome measure to assess intervention efficacy. However, the extent of LUS adoption and use by ICU therapists internationally has not been described in the literature.

Objectives

This survey explored the interest in LUS amongst ICU therapists internationally. In addition, LUS training, use in clinical practice and barriers to implementation were also explored. The survey findings were used to facilitate recommendations for future adoption.

Methods

International ICU therapists were invited to answer a 37 question cross-sectional open e-survey, distributed using the online survey tool REDCap®. The exact sample size of eligible ICU therapists from around the world is unknown, therefore the participant responses received were a representative convenience sample of the international ICU therapist population. Survey links were posted on the relevant web pages and social media forums utilised by various ICU therapist associations and professional organisations worldwide. A snowballing technique was used to encourage survey participants to forward the survey link within their professional networks. The survey was open on REDCap® for an 8-week period between March and May 2021.

Results

Three hundred twenty ICU therapists from 30 countries responded with most respondents coming from either the United Kingdom (n = 94) or Australia (n = 87). Eighty-nine of the ICU therapist respondents (30%) reported being users of LUS, however, 40 of those 89 respondents reported having no formal accreditation. The top clinical indications to perform a LUS scan were changes on chest radiograph, altered findings on auscultation and a low partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio. The 71% of LUS users reported that their ICU does not have a local policy in place to guide ICU therapists' use of LUS. Most LUS users (82%) only document their LUS findings in the patient's medical notes and (73%) only store the LUS clips on the ICU's ultrasound machine. The 85% of respondents perceive LUS becoming an increasing part of their objective assessment in the future and 96% report that they have other ICU therapist colleagues interested in adopting LUS. Main reasons why respondents believe that ICU therapists are not adopting LUS in their ICU are a difficulty in access to appropriate training, mentorship, and a lack of local governance policy guiding their use of LUS.

Conclusions

To the authors' knowledge this is the first study to explore the international adoption and utility of LUS by ICU therapists. LUS is a growing technique with widespread interest from ICU therapists internationally with a desire to adopt LUS into their assessments and upskill their practice. ICU therapists' use of LUS could allow more targetted and appropriate treatment for patients on ICU. Barriers to LUS adoption could be mitigated by having access to quality training programmes and mentorship. Development of profession specific guidance and policies within local infrastructure should facilitate growth and ensure robust quality assurance and governance processes.

External Validation of a Multivariate Model for Targeted Surfactant Replacement

INTRODUCTION

Early targeted surfactant therapy for preterm infants is recommended but the best criteria to personalize treatment are unclear. We validate a previously published multivariate prognostic model based on gestational age (GA), lung ultrasound score (LUS), and oxygen saturation to inspire oxygen fraction ratio (SatO2/FiO2) using an independent data set.

METHODS

Pragmatic, observational study in 10 Italian and Spanish NICUs, including preterm babies (250 and 336 weeks divided into 3 GA intervals) with clinical signs of respiratory distress syndrome and stabilized on CPAP. LUS and SatO2/FiO2 were collected soon after stabilization. Their prognostic accuracy was evaluated on the subsequent surfactant administration by a rigorously masked physician.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-five infants were included in the study. Surfactant was given to 74% infants born at 25-27 weeks, 38.5% at 28-30 weeks, and 26.5% at 31-33 weeks. The calibration curve comparing the validation and the development populations showed significant overlap with an intercept = 0.08, 95% CI (-0.34; 0.5) and a slope = 1.53, 95% CI (1.07-1.98). The validation cohort had a high predictive accuracy. Its ROC curve showed an AUC = 0.95, 95% CI (0.91-0.99) with sensitivity = 0.93, 95% CI (0.83-0.98), specificity = 0.81, 95% CI (0.73-0.88), PPV = 0.76, 95% CI (0.65-0.84), NPV = 0.95, 95% CI (0.88-0.98). LUS ≥9 demonstrated the highest sensitivity (0.91, 95% CI [0.82-0.97]) and specificity = 0.81, 95% CI (0.72-0.88) as individual predictor. LUS and SatO2/FiO2 prognostic performances varied with GA.

CONCLUSION

We validated a prognostic model based on LUS and Sat/FiO2 to facilitate early, customized surfactant administration that may improve respiratory management of preterm neonates.

Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Global Evolution of Research in Lung Ultrasound: A Rapidly Developing Field

BACKGROUND

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is gaining recognition as an indispensable diagnostic tool in critical care.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to characterize the global research landscape and trend of LUS with quantification and visualization approaches.

METHODS

Documents related to LUS published between 2007 and 2023 were selected from the Web of Science Core Collection and identified. Visualization and statistical analysis were conducted with the VOSviewer 1.6.18, CiteSpace 5.7.R5, and Bibliometrix 4.1.0 Package, including analysis of the trend of global publications, prominent countries, active institutions, and funding agencies, key authors and journals, co-cited references, and keywords.

RESULTS

A total of 3010 publications, including 2434 articles and 576 reviews, were retrieved. The output of LUS-related research has increased steadily over the years, especially after 2018. Italy (n=756; 25.12%) has shown the highest output, being the country with the highest total citations (23423 times). The most influential author was Gargani Luna with 52 documents, who worked at the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Chest and Intensive Care Medicine with high citations and impact factor scores were the most influential journals. Besides "lung ultrasonography", the keywords developed included "coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)", "acute respiratory distress syndrome", and "acute heart failure".

CONCLUSION

Research output on LUS has increased steadily, especially after 2018. Italy and the United States are staying ahead in this field. Research collaboration still needs to be strengthened. This comprehensive analysis has presented the global research landscape and trends of LUS-related research, providing valuable information for researchers to pursue further exploration.

An Interpretable Neonatal Lung Ultrasound Feature Extraction and Lung Sliding Detection System Using Object Detectors

The objective of this study was to develop an interpretable system that could detect specific lung features in neonates. A challenging aspect of this work was that normal lungs showed the same visual features (as that of Pneumothorax (PTX)). M-mode is typically necessary to differentiate between the two cases, but its generation in clinics is time-consuming and requires expertise for interpretation, which remains limited. Therefore, our system automates M-mode generation by extracting Regions of Interest (ROIs) without human in the loop. Object detection models such as faster Region Based Convolutional Neural Network (fRCNN) and RetinaNet models were employed to detect seven common Lung Ultrasound (LUS) features. fRCNN predictions were then stored and further used to generate M-modes. Beyond static feature extraction, we used a Hough transform based statistical method to detect "lung sliding" in these M-modes. Results showed that fRCNN achieved a greater mean Average Precision (mAP) of 86.57% (Intersection-over-Union (IoU) = 0.2) than RetinaNet, which only displayed a mAP of 61.15%. The calculated accuracy for the generated RoIs was 97.59% for Normal videos and 96.37% for PTX videos. Using this system, we successfully classified 5 PTX and 6 Normal video cases with 100% accuracy. Automating the process of detecting seven prominent LUS features addresses the time-consuming manual evaluation of Lung ultrasound in a fast paced environment. Clinical impact: Our research work provides a significant clinical impact as it provides a more accurate and efficient method for diagnosing lung diseases in neonates.

Comparing lung aeration and respiratory effort using two different spontaneous breathing trial: T-piece vs pressure support ventilation

OBJECTIVE

To assess the changes in lung aeration and respiratory effort generated by two different spontaneous breathing trial (SBT): T-piece (T-T) vs pressure support ventilation (PSV).

DESIGN

Prospective, interventionist and randomized study.

SETTING

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital del Mar.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-three ventilated patients for at least 24 h and considered eligible for an SBT were included in the study between October 2017 and March 2020.

INTERVENTIONS

30-min SBT with T-piece (T-T group, 20 patients) or 8-cmH2O PSV and 5-cmH2O positive end expiratory pressure (PSV group, 23 patients).

MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST

Demographics, clinical data, physiological variables, lung aeration evaluated with electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and lung ultrasound (LUS), and respiratory effort using diaphragmatic ultrasonography (DU) were collected at different timepoints: basal (BSL), end of SBT (EoSBT) and one hour after extubation (OTE).

RESULTS

There were a loss of aeration measured with EIT and LUS in the different study timepoints, without statistical differences from BSL to OTE, between T-T and PSV [LUS: 3 (1, 5.5) AU vs 2 (1, 3) AU; p = 0.088; EELI: -2516.41 (-5871.88, 1090.46) AU vs -1992.4 (-3458.76, -5.07) AU; p = 0.918]. Percentage of variation between BSL and OTE, was greater when LUS was used compared to EIT (68.1% vs 4.9%, p ≤ 0.001). Diaphragmatic excursion trend to decrease coinciding with a loss of aeration during extubation.

CONCLUSION

T-T and PSV as different SBT strategies in ventilated patients do not show differences in aeration loss, nor estimated respiratory effort or tidal volume measured by EIT, LUS and DU.

Lung ultrasound for evaluating perioperative atelectasis and aeration in the post-anesthesia care unit

PURPOSE

Lung ultrasound is widely accepted as a reliable, noninvasive tool for evaluating lung status at the bedside. We assessed the impact of perioperative variables on atelectasis and lung aeration using lung ultrasound, and their correlation with postoperative oxygenation in patients undergoing general anesthesia.

METHODS

This prospective observational study evaluated 93 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo elective non-cardiothoracic surgery under general anesthesia. Lung ultrasound was performed 5 min after admission to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Twelve pulmonary quadrants were selected for each ultrasound examination. The lung ultrasound scores and atelectasis status were calculated. The oxygenation assessment was obtained by arterial blood gas analysis before discharge from the PACU.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients (34%) had atelectasis in at least one of the 12 evaluated segments, whereas 12 patients (13%) had atelectasis in at least three segments. The proportion of B-lines (≥ 3) and atelectasis in the inferolateral and posterior regions was significantly higher than in other regions. Patients with lung ultrasound scores ≥ 5 had a higher body mass index and lower PaO2 before discharge from the PACU than those with scores < 5. Patients with atelectasis had higher body mass indices and lung ultrasound scores. The presence of ≥ 2 regions of atelectasis was associated with lower PaO2. Using multivariate analysis, body mass index, intraoperative body position, and sex independently correlated with lung ultrasound scores. Age and lung ultrasound scores independently correlated with hypoxemia.

CONCLUSION

Lung ultrasound enables early postoperative evaluation of atelectasis and lung aeration, which are closely associated with postoperative oxygenation.

Lung ultrasound in the COVID-19 era: a lesson to be learned for the future

Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable, radiation free and bedside imaging technique to assess several pulmonary diseases. Although the diagnosis of COVID-19 is made with the nasopharyngeal swab, detection of pulmonary involvement is key for a safe patient management. LUS is a valid alternative to explore, in paucisymptomatic self-presenting patients, the presence and extension of pneumonia compared to High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) that represent the gold standard. This is a single-centre prospective study with 131 patients enrolled. Twelve lung areas were explored reporting a semiquantitative assessment to obtain the LUS score. Each patient performed reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction test (rRT-PCR), hemogasanalysis and HRCT. We observed an inverse correlation between LUSs and pO2, P/F, SpO2, AaDO2 (p value < 0.01), a direct correlation with LUSs and AaDO2 (p value < 0.01). Compared with HRCT, LUS showed sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% and 55.4%, respectively, and VPN 75%, VPP 65%. Therefore, LUS can represent an effective alternative tool to detect pulmonary involvement in COVID-19 compared to HRCT.

Lung aeration estimated by chest electrical impedance tomography and lung ultrasound during extubation

BACKGROUND

This study hypothesized that patients with extubation failure exhibit a loss of lung aeration and heterogeneity in air distribution, which could be monitored by chest EIT and lung ultrasound. Patients at risk of extubation failure were included after a successful spontaneous breathing trial. Lung ultrasound [with calculation of lung ultrasound score (LUS)] and chest EIT [with calculation of the global inhomogeneity index, frontback center of ventilation (CoV), regional ventilation delay (RVD) and surface available for ventilation] were performed before extubation during pressure support ventilation (H0) and two hours after extubation during spontaneous breathing (H2). EIT was then repeated 6 h (H6) after extubation. EIT derived indices and LUS were compared between patients successfully extubated and patients with extubation failure.

RESULTS

40 patients were included, of whom 12 (30%) failed extubation. Before extubation, when compared with patients with successful extubation, patients who failed extubation had a higher LUS (19 vs 10, p = 0.003) and a smaller surface available for ventilation (352 vs 406 pixels, p = 0.042). After extubation, GI index and LUS were higher in the extubation failure group, whereas the surface available for ventilation was lower. The RVD and the CoV were not different between groups.

CONCLUSION

Before extubation, a loss of lung aeration was observed in patients who developed extubation failure afterwards. After extubation, this loss of lung aeration persisted and was associated with regional lung ventilation heterogeneity. Trial registration Clinical trials, NCT04180410, Registered 27 November 2019-prospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04180410 .

Interrater reliability in assigning a lung ultrasound score

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Lung ultrasound (LUS) for physiotherapists is an emerging bedside tool. The LUS score of aeration presents as a possible means of assessing and monitoring lung aeration associated with respiratory physiotherapy treatments. There are no studies to date that have assessed the interrater reliability (IRR) of physiotherapists assigning the LUS score of aeration. This study assessed the IRR of assigning the LUS score among adult, mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care unit with a clinical suspicion of acute lobar atelectasis.

METHODS

A convenience sample of patients had an LUS performed by a physiotherapist, and images were independently reviewed by two physiotherapists. Each lung zone was assigned an LUS score between 0 and 3 (with 0 being normal aeration and 3 being complete consolidation, presence of effusion, or pneumothorax). IRR was assessed using the kappa statistic.

RESULTS

A total of 1032 LUS images were obtained. Assigning of the LUS across all lung zones demonstrated substantial agreement with kappa 0.685 (95% confidence interval: 0.650, 0.720). Right (0.702 [0.653, 0.751]) and left (0.670 [0.619, 0.721]) lung zones also demonstrated substantial agreement.

CONCLUSION

We found substantial IRR between physiotherapists in assigning the LUS score in a mechanically ventilated adult population in the intensive care unit.

AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12619000783123.

Assessment of E/A ratio helps emergency clinicians in the management of patients with acute dyspnea

Acute dyspnea (AD) is one of the main reasons for admission to the Emergency Department (ED). In the last years integrated ultrasound examination (IUE) of lung, heart and inferior vena cava (IVC) has become an extension of clinical examination for a fast differential diagnosis. The aim of present study is to assess the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of E/A ratio for diagnosing acute heart failure (aHF) in patients with acute dyspnea. We included 92 patients presenting to the ED of CTO Hospital in Naples (Italy) for AD. All patients underwent IUE of lung-heart-IVC with a portable ultrasound device. Left ventricle diastolic function was assessed using pulse wave doppler at the tips of the mitral valve and E wave velocity and E/A ratio were recorded. The FINAL diagnosis was determined by two expert reviewers: acute HF or non-acute HF (non-aHF). We used 2 × 2 contingency tables to analyze sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value of ultrasound parameters for the diagnosis of AD, comparing with the FINAL diagnosis. Lung ultrasound (LUS) showed high sensitivity, good specificity and accuracy in identification of patients with aHF. However, the highest accuracy was obtained by diastolic function parameters. The E/A ratio showed the highest diagnostic performance with an AUC for aHF of 0.93. In patients presenting with AD, E/A ratio is easy to obtain in a fast ultrasound protocol and showed an excellent accuracy for diagnosis of aHF.

Lung ultrasound and postoperative follow-up of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Lung ultrasound (LU) has emerged as a valuable tool for assessing pulmonary aeration noninvasively, rapidly, and reliably in different neonatal conditions. However, its role in the preoperative and postoperative evaluation in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is still poorly analyzed. We present a cohort of 8 patients diagnosed with CDH who underwent lung ultrasound examinations at various time points before and after surgical correction. The lung ultrasound patterns were compared between two groups: mechanical ventilation ≤ 7 days (MV ≤ 7) and mechanical ventilation > 7 days (MV > 7). The ultrasound findings were also compared to CT scans and chest X-ray images to assess its diagnostic capacity for identifying postoperative complications: pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and pneumonia. Group MV ≤ 7 exhibited a normal pattern even at 48 h postsurgery, while group MV > 7 presented interstitial or alveolointerstitial pattern in both lungs for prolonged periods (2-3 weeks). Furthermore, contralateral LU pattern may be predictive of respiratory evolution.  Conclusion: Lung ultrasound is a valuable tool for evaluating the progressive reaeration of the lung following surgical correction in CDH patients. It demonstrates the ability to diagnose common postoperative complications without the need for radiation exposure while offering the advantages of quick and serial assessments. These findings highlight the potential of lung ultrasound as an effective alternative to conventional imaging methods in the management of CDH. What is Known: • Lung ultrasound evaluates lung aeration and predicts respiratory outcomes in neonatal patients. What is New: • Lung ultrasound is useful in the postsurgical management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia patients, detecting reaeration and respiratory complications.

Is the mNutric Score, the Only Independent Risk Factor for Abdominal Muscle Thickness Influencing Weaning?

How to cite this article: Goswami A, Bhattacharya D, Mandal M, Esquinas AM. Is the mNutric Score, the Only Independent Risk Factor for Abdominal Muscle Thickness Influencing Weaning? Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(9):686-687.