Point-of-Care Lung Sonography An Audit of 1150 Examinations

Abstract

Objectives—Point-of-care lung sonography has theoretical usefulness in numerous diseases; however clinical indications and the impact of this technique have not been fully investigated. We aimed to describe the current use of point-of-care lung sonography. Methods—A 2-year prospective observational study was performed by pulmonologists in an Italian university hospital. Techniques, indications, consequences of lung sonography, and barriers to the examination were analyzed. Results—A total of 1150 lung sonographic examinations were performed on 951 patients. The most common indications were diagnosis and follow-up of pleural effusion in 361 cases (31%), evaluation of lung consolidation (322 [28%]), acute heart failure (195 [17%]), guide to pleural procedures (117 [10%]), pneumothorax (54 [5%]) and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (30 [3%]). The mean duration of the examination 6 SD was 6 6 4 minutes. The transducers most frequently used were convex (746 [65%]) and linear (161 [14%]), whereas in 205 examinations (18%), both transducers were used. According to the judgment of the caring clinician, 51% of the examinations were clinically relevant.Conclusions—Point-of-care lung sonography performed by pulmonologists is quick and feasible and could be widely used for different clinical indications with a potentially high clinical impact. The widespread use of this technique may have a relevant clinical impact in several indications.