Lung Ultrasound Score to Predict Outcomes in COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can develop severe bilateral pneumonia leading to respiratory failure. We aimed to study the potential role of lung ultrasound score (LUS) in subjects with COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted an observational, prospective pilot study, including consecutive subjects admitted to an intermediate care unit due to COVID-19 pneumonia. LUS is a 12-zone examination method for lung parenchyma assessment. LUS was performed with a portable convex transducer, scores from 0 to 36 points. Clinical and demographic data were collected at LUS evaluation. Survival analysis was performed using a composite outcome including ICU admission or death. Subjects were followed for 30 d from LUS assessment. RESULTS: Of 36 subjects included, 69.4% were male, and mean age was 60.19 +/- 12.75 y. A cutoff LUS >= 24 points showed 100% sensitivity, 69.2% specificity, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85 for predicting worse prognosis. The composite outcome was present in 10 subjects (55.6%) with LUS >= 24 points, but not in the group with lower LUS scores (P <.001). Subjects with LUS >= 24 points had a higher risk of ICU admission or death (hazard ratio 9.97 [95% CI 2.75-36.14], P <.001). Significant correlations were observed between LUS and S-pO2/F-IO2, serum D-dimer, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and lymphocyte count. CONCLUSIONS: LUS >= 24 points can help identify patients with COVID-19 who are likely to require ICU admission or to die during follow-up. LUS also correlates significantly with clinical and laboratory markers of COVID-19 severity. (C) 2021 Daedalus Enterprises.