Lung Ultrasound and Sonographic Subpleural Consolidation in COVID-19 Pneumonia Correlate with Disease Severity

Zouheir Ibrahim Bitar; Mohammed Shamsah; OssamaSajeh Maadarani; Omar Mohammed Bamasood; Ali Zouheir Bitar; Huda Alfoudri

doi:10.1155/2021/6695033

Lung Ultrasound and Sonographic Subpleural Consolidation in COVID-19 Pneumonia Correlate with Disease Severity

Crit Care Res Pract. 2021 Jan 4:2021:6695033. doi: 10.1155/2021/6695033. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Zouheir Ibrahim Bitar¹, Mohammed Shamsah², OssamaSajeh Maadarani¹, Omar Mohammed Bamasood², Ali Zouheir Bitar³, Huda Alfoudri²

Affiliations

¹ Critical Care Unit, Ahmadi Hospital, Kuwait Oil Company, P.O. Box 46468, Fahaheel, Al Ahmadi 64015, Kuwait.
² Adan Hospital, Intensive Care Unit, Hadiya, Kuwait.
³ University of Waterloo, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: One of the ultrasonic features of COVID-19 pneumonia is the presence of subpleural consolidation (SPC), and the number of SPCs varies among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Aim: To examine the relationship between disease severity and the number of SPCs on admission. Methodology. This observational, prospective, single-center study included patients with suspected COVID-19 infection who had been transferred to the ICU. A specialized intensivist in critical care ultrasound performed lung ultrasound (LUS) and echocardiography within 12 hours of a patient's admission to the ICU. The aeration score was calculated, and the total number of SPCs was quantified in 12 zones of the LUS.

Results: Of 109 patients with suspected COVID-19 pneumonia, 77 (71%) were confirmed. The median patient age was 53 (82-36) years, and 81 of the patients (73.7%) were men. The aeration score and the counts of subpleural consolidation in each zone were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (P=0.018 and P < 0.0001, respectively). There was an inverse relationship between PO₂/FiO₂, the aeration score, and the number of subpleural consolidations. The higher the number of SPCs, the worse the PO₂/FiO₂ will be.

Conclusions: Sonographic SPC counts correlate well with the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia and PO₂/FiO₂. The number of SPCs should be considered when using LUS to assess disease severity.