Point-of-care lung ultrasound findings in the pediatric emergency clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: To describe our experience concerning lung ultrasound (LUS) in the pediatric emergency clinic, and to investigate the diagnostic value of LUS in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Patients aged under 18 admitted to the pediatric emergency clinic with suspicion of COVID-19, who underwent point-of-care LUS and from whom COVID-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) samples were collected, were included in the study. Results: Point-of-care LUS was performed on 74 patients in the emergency room. LUS findings were more sensitive than chest X-ray in the early stages of the disease and in mild cases. Involvement was observed at LUS despite RT-PCR being negative in some symptomatic patients with a COVID-19 contact history. Conclusions: We think that LUS can be beneficial in terms of identifying patients with lung involvement and staging their severity in this new disease in pediatric emergency clinics. The procedure is noninvasive, rapid, reproducible, and low cost, involving simple sterilization. Based on the current literature and our own practical experience, we think that increased use of point-of-care LUS can protect patients from unnecessary radiation and treatment delays during the COVID-19 pandemic.