Abstract
Scarce data exist regarding the natural history of lung lesions detected on ultrasound in those who survive severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Objective We performed a prospective analysis of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) findings in critically ill COVID-19 patients during and after hospitalization.
Methods We enrolled 171 COVID-19 intensive care unit patients. POCUS of the lungs was performed with phased array (2-4 MHz), convex (2-6 MHz) and linear (10-15 MHz) transducers, scanning 12 lung areas. Chest computed tomography angiography was performed to exclude suspected pulmonary embolism. Survivors were clinically and sonographically evaluated during a 4 month period for evidence of residual lung injury. Chest computed tomography angiography and echocardiography were used to exclude pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chest high-resolution-computed-tomography to exclude interstitial lung disease (ILD) in symptomatic survivors.
Results Cox regression analysis showed that lymphocytopenia (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.88, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.68-0.96, p = 0.048), increased lactate (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.94-1.46, p = 0.049), and D-dimers (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03-1.44, p = 0.03) were mortality predictors. Non-survivors had increased incidence of pulmonary abnormalities (B-lines, pleural line irregularities, and consolidations) compared to survivors (p < 0.05). During follow-up, POCUS with clinical and laboratory parameters integrated in the semi-quantitative Riyadh-Residual-Lung-Injury scale had sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.76-0.89) and specificity of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.94-0.95) in predicting ILD. The prevalence of PH and ILD (non-specific-interstitial-pneumonia) was 7% and 11.8%, respectively.
Conclusion POCUS showed ability to monitor the evolution of severe COVID-19 pneumonia after hospital discharge, supporting its integration in clinical predictive models of residual lung injury.