Bedside Lung Ultrasonography in the Assessment of the Postoperative Atelectasis

Abstract

Postoperative atelectasis may complicate the progress of patients after major abdominal surgery. Lung ultrasonography plays a key role in the diagnosis of lung consolidations (atelectasis, pneumonia, etc.) as it not only enables diagnosis at the patient's bedside, but also treatment response assessment in real time. We present the case of a patient who, at early stages of the postoperative period of major abdominal surgery, presented moderate hypoxemia secondary to the presence of bilateral alveolar consolidations which were diagnosed using bedside lung ultrasonography. These were resolved after treatment administration which was also assessed using bedside lung ultrasonography.