Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for judicious use of diagnostic tests and to limit personnel exposure has led to increased use and dependence on point-ofcare ultrasound (POCUS) examinations. We reviewed POCUS findings in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for acute respiratory failure with COVID-19 and correlated the findings to severity of illness and 30-day outcomes. Methods: Patients admitted to the ICU in March and April 2020 were reviewed for inclusion (acute hypoxemic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia; documentation of POCUS findings). Results: Forty-three patients met inclusion criteria. B lines and pleural thickening were associated with a lower PaO 2 / FiO 2 by 71 (P = .005; adjusted R 2 = 0.24). Right ventricle (RV) dilation was more common in patients with 30-day mortality (P = .02) and was a predictor of mortality when adjusted for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and age (odds ratio,12.0; P = .048). All patients with RV dilation had bilateral B lines with pleural irregularities. Conclusions: Although lung ultrasound abnormalities are prevalent in patients with severe disease, RV involvement seems to be predictive of outcomes. Further studies are needed to discern the etiology and pathophysiology of RV dilation in COVID-19.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.