International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 18/Nov/2020;33(6):604-5.
Lung Ultrasound in COVID 19 Outbreak: Can we Reduce the Burden from the Overloaded CT Departments?
Filipe Penna de Carvalho
, Alex dos Santos Felix
Since the first descriptions on the use of lung ultrasound (LUS) for bedside evaluation of critically ill patients, important publications have underscored the utility of LUS for the detection of a wide array of pulmonary and pleural diseases, as well as for the differential diagnosis of acute respiratory failure, proving to be an important tool for a point-of-care based examination and an extended resource for examining critical patients, cited by many as the “new stethoscope”.,
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has emerged as a global health burden since late 2019, challenging healthcare systems around the world due to the constant need for intensive care support and isolation of patients, many of whom evolve with severe hemodynamic involvement, leading to high morbidity and mortality. This critical scenario highlights the importance of appropriateness and best appliance of all diagnostic and therapeutic resources. In this regard, the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is proving to be a cost-effective tool for the management of these potentially critical patients, from the initial presentation (triage) to in-hospital management and post-discharge follow-up.
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