Future Science OA (Jan 2021)
The use of chest ultrasonography in suspected cases of COVID-19 in the emergency department
- Enrico Allegorico,
- Carlo Buonerba,
- Giorgio Bosso,
- Antonio Pagano,
- Giovanni Porta,
- Claudia Serra,
- Pasquale Dolce,
- Valentina Minerva,
- Ferdinando Dello Vicario,
- Concetta Altruda,
- Paola Arbo,
- Teresa Russo,
- Chiara De Sio,
- Nicoletta Franco,
- Gianluca Ruffa,
- Cinzia Mormile,
- Francesca Cannavacciuolo,
- Valentina Mercurio,
- Gelsomina Gervasio,
- Giuseppe Di Costanzo,
- Alfonso Ragozzino,
- Luca Scafuri,
- Gaetano Facchini,
- Fabio Numis
Affiliations
- Enrico Allegorico
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Carlo Buonerba
- 2Department of Oncology & Hematology, Regional Reference Center for Rare Tumors, AOU Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Giorgio Bosso
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Antonio Pagano
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Giovanni Porta
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Claudia Serra
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Pasquale Dolce
- 5Department of Public Health, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Valentina Minerva
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Ferdinando Dello Vicario
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Concetta Altruda
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Paola Arbo
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Teresa Russo
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Chiara De Sio
- 7Department of Medical & Surgical Sciences, Università della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Nicoletta Franco
- 8Internal Medicine, AOU Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Gianluca Ruffa
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Cinzia Mormile
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Francesca Cannavacciuolo
- 4A.O.R.N.“San Giuseppe Moscati”, Internal Medicine Department, 83100 Avellino, Italy
- Valentina Mercurio
- 5Department of Public Health, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Gelsomina Gervasio
- 6Department of Diagnostic Imaging “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Giuseppe Di Costanzo
- 6Department of Diagnostic Imaging “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Alfonso Ragozzino
- 6Department of Diagnostic Imaging “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- Luca Scafuri
- 10Department of Clinical Medicine & Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Gaetano Facchini
- 9Department of Hospital Medicine, Unit of Medical Oncology, ASL Napoli 2 Nord, “S.M. delle Grazie” Hospital, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
- Fabio Numis
- 1Department of Emergency Medicine “Santa Maria delle Grazie” Hospital, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2144/fsoa-2020-0127
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 7,
no. 1
Abstract
Aim: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) represents the diagnostic gold standard. We explored the value of chest ultrasonography to predict positivity to SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR in suspected COVID-19 cases. Patients & methods: Consecutive patients with suspect COVID-19 were included if they had fever and/or history of cough and/or dyspnea. Lung ultrasound score (LUSS) was computed according to published methods. Results: A total of 76 patients were included. A 3-variable model based on aspartate transaminase (AST) > upper limit of normal, LUSS >12 and body temperature >37.5°C yielded an overall accuracy of 91%. Conclusion: A simple LUSS-based model may represent a powerful tool for initial assessment in suspected cases of COVID-19.
Keywords