The purpose of this study was to evaluate the availability and diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care bedside lung ultrasound examination in management of mechanical ventilation in neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical condition requiring dynamic evaluation and interventions. Point-of-care bedside lung ultrasound examination (PoC-BLUE) is a noninvasive, readily available imaging modality that can complement physical and clinical evaluation.

At any time, most neonates and infants with ARDS in medical intensive care units (ICUs) require mechanical ventilation, making it one of the most frequently used critical care technologies. However, difficulties with regard to the accurate diagnosis of ARDS before administration of mechanical ventilation, dynamic monitoring of treatment effects during administration of mechanical ventilation, and decision-making of timing in weaning from mechanical ventilation, are often encountered in the majority neonates and infants who require mechanical ventilation.

Hence, techniques that expedite and advance the knowledge of the administration of mechanical ventilation should have an important clinical significance in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of ARDS.

Preliminary researches have suggested that BLUE has a high diagnostic accuracy in patients with acute respiratory failure, and has the potential to quantify the rate and degree of diaphragm thinning during mechanical ventilation, which may be useful to predict extubation success or failure during either spontaneous breathing (SB) or pressure support (PS) trials.

Unfortunately, few studies focus on the availability of PoC-BLUE in management of mechanical ventilation in neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome. Also, they call into question the possible association of the demographic and clinical confounders with the diagnostic accuracy of PoC-BLUE for diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of ARDS in the whole process of mechanical ventilation.

Given that a considerable need for a timely and dynamic diagnosis of severe condition and therapy evaluation during mechanical ventilation has been triggered to integrate the currently available bulk of knowledge and information, the objective of this study is to investigate the availability and diagnostic accuracy of PoC-BLUE Plus protocol in management of mechanical ventilation in ARDS.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All infants who present to the ICU with respiratory symptoms suspicious for ARDS, according to Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Consensus Recommendations From the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference, which is proposed by The Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference Group.
• In whom the treating Collaborative Review Groups of Poc-BLUE-Plus protocol believe would benefit from diagnostic imaging.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infants who arrive at the ICU with a previously performed chest radiography
• Unstable infants with life-threatening injuries who require ongoing resuscitation