The Rise of Lung Ultrasound in the Era of COVID-19

Abstract

The current global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) presents a huge challenge for physicians. Rapid diagnosis, triage and clinical management of these patients is a challenge for physicians but may be aided using lung ultrasound. Lung ultrasound has been in use for over 10 years mainly by critical care practitioners and emergency physicians with variable uptake, but it has gained popularity during the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as a diagnostic tool and can be easily learned compared to the other ultrasound techniques. Image interpretation is based on identifying artefacts generated by the pleural surface. This technique is non-invasive and can be performed rapidly at the patient’s bedside. It has higher accuracy in diagnosis than auscultation and Chest X-ray (CXR) combined. In this article the authors describe the interpretation of lung ultrasound images, particularly in patients with COVID-19 and discuss indications for this technique. Physicians are recommended to gain familiarity with this technique and use of online resources for guidance. Keywords: COVID-19, Lung, SARS-COV-2, Ultrasonography, Triage.