Open Access
Lung Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Pediatric COVID-19
Author(s) -
Tom Kennedy,
Laurie Malia,
Almaz Dessie,
David Kessler,
Leong L. Ng,
Elaine Chiang,
Joni E. Rabiner
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pediatric emergency care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.449
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1535-1815
pISSN - 0749-5161
DOI - 10.1097/pec.0000000000002254
Subject(s) - medicine , point of care ultrasound , covid-19 , lung ultrasound , lung , ultrasound , radiology , point of care , intensive care , emergency department , intensive care medicine , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychiatry
Lung point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been shown to be useful for identifying pulmonary pathology in adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, pediatric literature for POCUS in COVID-19 is limited. The objective of this case series was to describe lung POCUS findings in pediatric patients with COVID-19. Three patients with COVID-19 who had lung POCUS performed in a pediatric emergency department were included. Point-of-care ultrasound revealed bilateral abnormalities in all patients, including pleural line irregularities, scattered and coalescing B-lines, consolidations, and pleural effusions. Additional pediatric studies are necessary to gain a broader understanding of COVID-19's sonographic appearance in this age group and to determine whether POCUS may be helpful to facilitate diagnosis and expedite management decisions.