Pulmonary ultrasound in COVID-19: Case series

Abstract

Objective: To describe the pulmonary ultrasound findings in a case series of patients with COVID-19. Method: Ten patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 by PCR were included. A 2-dimensional, 12-quadrant lung ultrasound was performed on each patient. Results: The identified patterns were: alterations of the pleural line due to disruption / unevenness (100%), pleural thickening (100%), subpleural consolidation (90%) and laminar pleural effusion (80%), pattern B1 (60%), pattern B2 (40%) and consolidation (20%), which correlates with autopsy findings reported in literature, characterized by interstitial infiltrate, alveolar collapse, and pulmonary condensation. Conclusions: Pulmonary ultrasound provides information on the status of patients with COVID-19, which allows modifying the therapy used, impacting clinical results and optimizing the use of available resources. The findings of this descriptive study correspond to those described worldwide, concluding that most patients will have some pathological pleuropulmonary finding at the time of their initial evaluation, which shows that ultrasound is a useful study in evaluation and follow-up. of patients with COVID-19.