Comparison Between a Pocket Sized and a High End Ultrasound Scanner in the Evaluation of Lung Involvement in Patients With Covid-19 Pneumonia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China in December 2019 and quickly spread all over the globe. The clinical features are fever, dyspnoea, dry cough, fatigue and diarrhoea (1). Pharyngodynia, nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea and anosmia have also been reported . Interstitial pneumonia is very common and a high percentage of patients (9-11%) develop severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and require intensive care. Current therapeutic strategy involves agents counteracting viral invasion and replication, and inhibitors of cytokine-sustained inflammatory reactions. No specific antiviral therapy has yet been identified.

Ultrasound imaging of the lung (LUS) and associated tissues has demonstrated clinical utility in COVID-19 patients, due to the typical sonographic characteristics of affected lungs. It provides indications for clinical decisions and the management of associated respiratory failure and lung injury.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibilities of a portable pocket-sized ultrasound scanner in the evaluation of lung involvement in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

We will perform 34 LUS (lung ultrasound scan) evaluations on patients admitted to the COVID Unit of Siena University Hospital with symptoms compatible with COVID-19, a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasal-pharyngeal swab and radiological evidence of interstitial pneumonia.

The patients will be divided into three severity categories based on respiratory impairment: Mild PaO2/FiO2 > 300 in room air or oxygen flow; Moderate PaO2/FiO2 between 150 and 300 in room air or oxygen-therapy, CPAP, NIV or HFNC; Severe PaO2/FiO2 < 150 on oxygen-therapy, CPAP, NIV, HFNC or mechanical ventilation.