Lung Ultrasound for Acute Dyspnea in Emergency Department

Dyspnea is a frequent symptom in patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED); discriminating between cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic dyspnea is a common clinical dilemma. The initial diagnostic work-out is often not very accurate in defining the etiology and the underlying pathophysiology. In the last years, lung ultrasound (US) has emerged as a useful real-time bedside diagnostic tool in the critical patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, reproducibility, and diagnostic impact of pleural and lung US, performed by emergency physicians at the time of patient first presentation to the ED, in identifying cardiac causes of acute dyspnea.

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Key information

Conditions

Dyspnea Cardiovascular Diseases Congestive Heart Failure Heart Diseases Heart Failure Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Respiration Disorders Respiratory Tract Diseases Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Emergency Department - AOU San Giovanni Battista, Turin, Italy

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Patients had to present to the ED with a principal complaint of shortness of breath, deﬁned as either the sudden onset of dyspnea with no history of chronic dyspnea or an increase in the severity of chronic dyspnea in the last 48 hours;
Presence of an emergency physician with lung US experience at the time of enrollment;
US examination within 30 minutes after the start of the clinical evaluation.

Exclusion criteria

Dyspnea cases clearly due to neither cardiogenic nor respiratory etiology will considered not eligible.

Treatment and study plan

lung and pleural ultrasound

Other

After the initial diagnostic work-out (medical history, physical examination, EKG, arterious blood gas), the emergency physician will classify dyspnoea in cardiogenic or respiratory dyspnoea and write it down in a specific form (clinical form). Immediately after this, lung and pleural ultrasound will be performed: the physician will describe it and evaluate the etiology again (integrated evaluation form). Then a chest X-ray evaluation will be performed for each patient.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Turin, Italy

Other

Collaborators

Agnelli Hospital, Italy
Azienda Ospedaliera Ordine Mauriziano di Torino
Azienda Ospedaliera San Giovanni Battista
Martini Hospital, Turin, Italy
Ospedale Cardinal Massaia
Ospedale Santa Croce-Carle Cuneo
San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital

Registry information

Official study title

Lung Ultrasound for Acute Dyspnea in Emergency Department - Prospective Multicenter Study on Accuracy, Reproducibility, and Diagnostic Impact of Lung Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Patients With Dyspnea in the Emergency Department

Important dates

Study start: 2010
Primary completion: 2012
Study completion: 2012
First posted: Feb 1, 2011
Registry last updated: Nov 20, 2012

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed