We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App





Novel Ultrasound Scoring System Provides Accurate COVID-19 Diagnosis and Prognosis in Less Than 10 Minutes

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 14 Sep 2021
Print article
Illustration
Illustration
A new study has found that the Lung Ultrasound Severity Index (LUSI), a novel ultrasound score designed to measure the quality and extent of lung involvement, in relation to COVID-19, can be a useful tool in diagnosing COVID-19 in patients with a high pretest probability to have the disease.

The study by researchers from the University of Ferrara (Ferrara, Italy) also found that among the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who had a high pretest probability to have the disease, the LUSI could also identify those with worse prognosis diagnosis and in-hospital mortality of patients with respiratory distress admitted for suspected COVID-19.

Lung ultrasound is increasingly employed in clinical practice but a standard approach and data about its accuracy still needed. Lung ultrasound having an acknowledged role in the diagnosis and staging of many lung diseases, has been repeatedly evoked as a potentially useful tool in the context of the current pandemic and has been included in many clinical diagnostic pathways of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. However, published studies are generally based on score systems that do not consider the patchy ultrasound appearance of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, due to the different patterns displayed in the same area.

To resolve this issue, the researchers built a lung ultrasound model that could semi-quantitatively represent the extent of lung involvement and could include the typical patchy appearance of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, reporting clearly all data regarding the technical aspect of the lung ultrasound examination, all data regarding the accuracy of the model, and testing it only in regard to the RT-PCR results, the only universally accepted standard reference for the diagnosis of COVID-19. In their study, the team decided to propose and validate the LUSI, a novel ultrasound score designed to measure the quality and extent of lung involvement, in relation to COVID-19 diagnosis and in-hospital mortality of patients with respiratory distress admitted for suspected COVID-19.

Patients with respiratory distress and suspected COVID-19 consecutively admitted in the emergency medicine unit were enrolled for the study. Lung ultrasound examinations were performed blindly to clinical data. The outcomes were diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia and in-hospital mortality. The study involved 159 patients, out of which 66% were males and 63.5% had a final diagnosis of COVID-19. The researchers found that COVID-19 patients had a higher mortality rate (18.8% vs. 6.9%) and LUSI (16.14 [8.71] vs. 10.08 [8.92] as compared to non-COVID-19 ones. This model proved able to distinguish between positive cases from negative ones with an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) equal to 0.72 (95% CI 0.64-0.78) and to predict in-hospital mortality with an AUROC equal to 0.81 (95% CI 0.74-0.86), in the whole population, and an AUROC equal to 0.76 (95% CI 0.66-0.84) in COVID-19 patients. The findings indicate that LUSI can be a useful tool in diagnosing COVID-19 in patients with a high pretest probability to have the disease and - among them - identify those with worse prognosis.

Related Links:
University of Ferrara

Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Thyroid Shield
Standard Thyroid Shield

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed a novel risk score for cardiovascular complications after bone marrow transplant (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Tool Predicts Cardiovascular Risks after Bone Marrow Transplantation

Every year, thousands of people undergo bone marrow transplants to potentially cure serious diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and immune deficiency disorders. While these transplants can be lifesaving,... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The Early Bird Bleed Monitoring System provides visual and audible indicators of the onset and progression of bleeding events (Photo courtesy of Saranas)

Novel Technology Monitors and Lowers Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Heart Procedures

Bleeding complications at the femoral access site can significantly hamper recovery, affecting the success of procedures, patient satisfaction, and overall healthcare costs. It is crucial for surgeons... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.