BMC Pulmonary Medicine (Feb 2022)

Application of POCUS in patients with COVID-19 for acute respiratory distress syndrome management: a narrative review

  • Xuehui Gao,
  • Xiaojing Zou,
  • Ruiting Li,
  • Huaqing Shu,
  • Yuan Yu,
  • Xiaobo Yang,
  • You Shang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-022-01841-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract COVID-19 has inflicted the world for over two years. The recent mutant virus strains pose greater challenges to disease prevention and treatment. COVID-19 can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and extrapulmonary injury. Dynamic monitoring of each patient's condition is necessary to timely tailor treatments, improve prognosis and reduce mortality. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is broadly used in patients with ARDS. POCUS is recommended to be performed regularly in COVID-19 patients for respiratory failure management. In this review, we summarized the ultrasound characteristics of COVID-19 patients, mainly focusing on lung ultrasound and echocardiography. Furthermore, we also provided the experience of using POCUS to manage COVID-19-related ARDS.

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