Abnormal Lung Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in suspected cases of COVID-19 pneumonia with normal plain chest radiographs – A Case Series

Abstract

COVID-19 pneumonia produces a heterogeneous array of clinical, biochemical, and radiological findings. Over the last few months of global hurry to optimize a testing strategy, it has been suggested that bedside point-of-care lung ultrasound may have a diagnostic role. We present 3 patients with RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia, who had an admission plain chest film reported to be normal by a consultant radiologist, but with significant sonographic abnormalities on bedside ultrasound performed within 24 hours of the chest radiograph. Lung ultrasound may better correlate with the oxygen requirement and overall condition of the patient than chest radiographs – a pertinent consideration given the imminent advance of the pandemic into resource-poor zones where timely access to roentgenological imaging may be sparse.