Interoperator Reliability of Lung Ultrasound during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
| Autor: | De Molo C; Interventional, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Ultrasound Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy., Consolini S; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Salvatore V; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Grignaschi A; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Lanotte A; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Masi L; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Giostra F; Emergency department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy., Serra C; Interventional, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Ultrasound Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Ultraschall in der Medizin (Stuttgart, Germany : 1980) [Ultraschall Med] 2023 Feb; Vol. 44 (1), pp. 75-80. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 15. |
| DOI: | 10.1055/a-1452-8379 |
| Abstrakt: | Aim: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable, radiation-free, and bedside imaging technique used to assess several pulmonary diseases. Although COVID-19 is diagnosed with a nasopharyngeal swab, detection of pulmonary involvement is crucial for safe patient discharge. Computed tomography (CT) is currently the gold standard. To treat paucisymptomatic patients, we have implemented a "fast track" pathway in our emergency department, using LUS as a valid alternative. Minimal data is available in the literature about interobserver reliability and the level of expertise needed to perform a reliable examination. Our aim was to assess these. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center prospective study. We enrolled 96 patients. 12 lung areas were explored in each patient with a semiquantitative assessment of pulmonary aeration loss in order to obtain the LUS score. Scans were performed by two different operators, an expert and a novice, who were blinded to their colleague's results. Results: 96 patients were enrolled. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed excellent agreement between the expert and the novice operator (ICC 0.975; 0.962-0.983); demographic features (age, sex, and chronic pulmonary disease) did not influence the reproducibility of the method. The ICC was 0.973 (0.950-0.986) in males, 0.976 (0.959-0.986) in females; 0.965 (0.940-0.980) in younger patients (≤ 46 yrs), and 0.973 (0.952-0.985) in older (> 46 yrs) patients. The ICC was 0.967 (0.882-0.991) in patients with pulmonary disease and 0.975 (0.962-0.984) in the other patients. The learning curve showed an increase in interobserver agreement. Conclusion: Our results confirm the feasibility and reproducibility of the method among operators with different levels of expertise, with a rapid learning curve. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. (Thieme. All rights reserved.) |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|