Dialysis Patients’ Evaluation of Lung Edema at Home Using a Mobile Phone Tele-Ultrasound Application: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Home rehabilitation improves patient satisfaction and reduces the need for specialist consultations. Hemodialysis is a costly post-ICU service that requires frequent monitoring. Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of patients self-scanning their lungs with an ultrasound device within the hospital. Methods: In this single-center, prospective pilot study, we compared the quality of high-risk elderly patient-generated lung ultrasound images against physician-generated images as our primary outcome. The secondary outcome assessed image quality and B-line quantification between a home device and a gold standard device, when operated by the same clinician. Results: We enrolled nine participants (66% male, median age 76 years [IQR 66,79]). Analysis included 402 ultrasound clips (163 patient-generated, 239 physician-generated, and 237 in-clinic gold standard clips). Patient-generated images demonstrated high reliability (92% highly reliable or reliable) and were non-inferior to physician-generated images (p < 0.001). There was substantial agreement in B-line classification (Kw = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46–0.82). The home device, when operated by the same physician, showed non-inferiority to the gold standard device (p < 0.001) with substantial B-line classification agreement (Kw = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.51–0.78). Conclusions: High-risk elderly patients can successfully generate self-scanned lung ultrasound images comparable to those produced by physicians. These promising results warrant further investigation through larger-scale and long-term studies.