Lung Ultrasound to Diagnose COVID-19

Use of Lung Ultrasound in Patients Suspected of COVID-19 Infection in the Emergency Room

Covid-19 (English acronym meaning coronavirus disease 2019) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a strain of coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The current pandemic has resulted in a significant number of admissions in the emergency room (ER) due to suspicion of COVID-19 infection. Use of lung ultrasound is standard practice to diagnose acute respiratory failure in ER. Recently, typical lung ultrasonographic characteristics of COVID-19 disease has been described. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of this tool could be of interest in order to allow an early, simple and reliable triage in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection admitted in ER. In addition, the visualization of early signs in specific areas could be a predictive marker of the severity of the disease. The objective of this project will be to study the association between the signs on lung ultrasound and the result of RT-PCR in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection in the ER.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients admitted to Emergency Room for suspicion of COVID-19 infection with has a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test and for whom the emergency doctor decide to perform a lung ultrasound

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients < 18 years of age or under guardianship or curators,
• pregnancy
• poor echogenicity due to the presence of an acoustic barrier (pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, etc.)
• patients with a suspected or proven acute lung disease (pneumonitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS))
• chronic interstitial lung disease
• patients who will refuse to give their consent.