Predicting Outcomes for Covid-19 Using Sonography

As Covid-19 continues to stress hospital-based resources (including personal protective equipment, ancillary staff availability, and imaging study utilization), it is important to assess whether alternative methods for evaluating patients can be utilized to appropriately triage and care for Covid-positive patients. Current limitations of caring for patients with Covid-19 include the exposure of ancillary healthcare workers (including radiological technicians) and the time/resources required to decontaminate traditional radiological equipment such as x-ray or computerized tomography (CT) machines.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has the potential to transform healthcare delivery due to its diagnostic and therapeutic expediency. It can be quickly performed at the bedside by experienced clinicians. It it has been shown to reliably and accurately diagnose patients with a variety of lung diseases, including pneumonia. This study seeks to investigate the role of lung ultrasound in caring for Covid-19 positive patients and whether it can be used to predict patient deterioration. This information will be vital for healthcare workers who seek to identify the virus or patients at risk for deterioration early in the disease course. Moreover, it has the potential to reduce the need for x-rays or CTs for Covid-19 patients, which has the potential to alleviate a significant burden currently being placed on the healthcare system.

Inclusion criteria

• Any adult (18 or more years of age) presenting to the emergency department with symptoms suspicious for Covid-19
• This individual underwent evaluation for Covid-19 via a nasopharyngeal RT-PCR
• This individual received a lung ultrasound by the study authors within 28 days from initial evaluation

Exclusion criteria

• Any individual who did not receive a lung ultrasound within 28 days from initial evaluation for covid-19 related illness