Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Since the advent of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, clinicians have had to modify how they provide high-value care while mitigating the risk of viral spread. Routine imaging studies have been discouraged due to elevated transmission risk. ⋯ POCUS will allow a clinician to evaluate and monitor cardiac and pulmonary function, as well as evaluate for thromboembolic disease, place an endotracheal tube, confirm central venous catheter placement, and rule out a pneumothorax. If a patient improves sufficiently to perform weaning trials, POCUS can also help evaluate readiness for ventilator liberation.
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From its start in China in December 2019, infection by the new SARS-CoV2 spread fast all over the world. It can present as severe respiratory distress in the elderly or a vasculitis in a child, most of whom are typically completely asymptomatic. ⋯ Lung ultrasound has become an important tool in diagnosis and follow-up of patient with COVID-19 infection. Here we review available, up to date literature on ultrasound use for COVID-19 suspected pediatric patients and contrast it to published findings in adult patients.
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Meta Analysis
Diagnosis of Acute Heart Failure Using Inferior Vena Cava Ultrasound: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
The utility of bedside inferior vena cava (IVC) ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether IVC parameters in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) are statistically different from those without HF. ⋯ Bedside IVC US showed that a statistically significant difference existed in the IVC parameters between patients with and without AHF. Based on mean calculations, an IVCexp of greater than 2.0 cm and an IVC-CI of less than 30% are reasonable cutoffs to suggest that a patient with acute dyspnea is more likely to have AHF than a non-AHF condition. Given the high degree of heterogeneity across the studies and the high risk of bias, larger randomized studies are warranted to explore the use of IVC US in patients with HF.