Performance comparison of lung ultrasound and chest x-ray for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the ED

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the potential of bedside lung ultrasound examination by the attending emergency physician in the diagnosis of acute pneumonia. Material and Methods: This observational single-center study was conducted between January 2010 and June 2012 in the emergency unit of a general hospital, and analyzed 144 adult patients. The ultrasound examination was performed by one of five trained emergency physicians, and a chest radiograph interpreted by a radiologist. The primary end point was the diagnosis of hospital discharge. Results: We found a sensitivity of 0.95 for the ultrasound examination against 0.6 for radiography (P < .05). The negative predictive value was 0.67 against 0.25 for radiography (P < .05). Conclusion: These results exhort to promote the use of thoracic ultrasound in the first-line diagnosis of pneumonia. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.