Physiotherapy-led lung ultrasound in neonatal extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation: A case-study

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of point of care lung ultrasound (LUS) in adult patients receiving extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). However, literature supporting the use of LUS in neonatal and paediatric ECMO patients is limited. We report the use of physiotherapy-led LUS in a neonatal ECMO patient. The baby required veno-arterial ECMO for long-segment tracheal stenosis and presented with complete right lung collapse. In this situation real time, bedside imaging enabled timely and specific physiotherapy treatment to be implemented. LUS also allowed immediate reassessment and subsequent improvement to be determined. This negated the requirement for an additional, pre-surgery chest X-ray, reducing radiation exposure. This case-study highlights LUS as an important tool for health professionals caring for neonatal and paediatric ECMO patients. Future research should include further development of population specific LUS scoring systems.