Consensus of the study group for point-of-care lung ultrasound in the intensive care management of COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Respiratory failure is a dominating medical issue in the severe course of COVID-19. Both at the stage of diagnostics prior to admission to the intensive care unit and during the monitoring of lesion evolution, diagnostic imaging techniques may significantly influence clinical decisions. Although computed tomography remains the gold standard for diagnosing lung diseases, its usefulness for infected, critically ill patients has been largely limited during the pandemic. Reports from those countries in which the healthcare systems were most seriously overloaded with patients with COVID-19-induced pneumonia stress the key role of point-of-care lung ultrasound performed by clinicians first during preliminary diagnostics and then while monitoring disease dynamics. This consensus, worked out by an interdisciplinary team of specialists forming the Study Group for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in the Intensive Care Management of COVID-19 Patients, presents a broad spectrum of aspects regarding the analysed issue. Its concise form is meant to serve clinicians who perform ultrasound as a straightforward and informative guide.