Portable Pocket-Sized Ultrasound Scanner for the Evaluation of Lung Involvement in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients

Abstract

Ultrasound imaging of the lung (LUS) and associated tissues has demonstrated clinical utility in COVID-19 patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibilities of a portable pocket-sized ultrasound scanner in the evaluation of lung involvement in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. We conducted 437 paired readings in 34 LUS evaluations on hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The lung ultrasound scans were performed on the same day with a standard high-end ultrasound scanner (Venue GO™, GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA) and a pocket-sized ultrasound scanner (Butterfly iQ, Butterfly Network Inc., Guilford, CT, USA). 14/34 scans were performed on severe, 11 on moderate and 9 on mild patients. No difference in days since onset of symptoms was observed between groups (23.29 ± 10.07, 22.91 ± 8.91, 28.56 ± 11.13 days, respectively, p=0.38). No significant differences were found between LUS scores obtained with the high-end and the portable pocket-sized ultrasound scanner. LUS scores in patients with mild respiratory impairment were significantly lower than in moderate and severe patients. Our study confirms the possibilities of portable pocket-sized ultrasound imaging of the lung in COVID-19 patients. Portable pocket-sized ultrasound scanners are cheap, easy to handle and equivalent to standard scanners for non-invasive assessment of severity and dynamic observation of lung lesions in COVID-19 patients.

The Use of Handheld Ultrasound Devices in Emergency Medicine

“…Use of HHU devices in the ED is currently informed by mostly small, single-center studies with few randomized control trials (RCTs) available at this time. Nonetheless, the limited data from these studies is promising [ 3 , 8 , 31 – 35 ]. A retrospective study evaluating POCUS lung scores obtained from ED COVID-19 patients using a Butterfly iQ HHU and traditional GE Venue machine reported a high degree of correlation between images [ 31 ].…”

“…Nonetheless, the limited data from these studies is promising [ 3 , 8 , 31 – 35 ]. A retrospective study evaluating POCUS lung scores obtained from ED COVID-19 patients using a Butterfly iQ HHU and traditional GE Venue machine reported a high degree of correlation between images [ 31 ]. Two other studies using HHU to differentiate the cause of acute dyspnea in the ED found HHU use feasible for this purpose and demonstrated reliable discrimination between cardiac and non-cardiac causes of dyspnea [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Imaging in the COVID-19 era: Lessons learned during a pandemic

“…A convex or linear probe with a bandwidth of 2-6 MHz with the depth set at 15cm and a single focal point on the pleural line is used to scan all intercostal areas[ 92 , 93 ]. Pocket-sized handheld US probes have also been utilized due to their easier handling, with similar results[ 94 ].…”

The Novel Concept of Patient Self-Imaging: Success in COVID-19 and Cardiopulmonary Disorders

“… 2 Notably, the anteroapical lung window is easily accessible for self-imaging and the presence of B-lines, which are ultrasound findings indicating edema or inflammation, at this site has clinical significance in congestive heart failure (CHF) 3 and in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 4 We wish to report the feasibility of instructing patients on a simplified process of self-imaging and identify predictors of their proficiency.…”