The purpose of this study is to provide evidence-based and expert consensus recommendations for lung ultrasound with focus on emergency and critical care settings. A multidisciplinary panel of 28 experts from eight countries was involved. Literature was reviewed from January 1966 to June 2011. Consensus members searched multiple databases including Pubmed, Medline, OVID, Embase, and others. The process used to develop these evidence-based recommendations involved two phases: determining the level of quality of evidence and developing the recommendation. The quality of evidence is assessed by the grading of recommendation, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) method. However, the GRADE system does not enforce a specific method on how the panel should reach decisions during the consensus process. Our methodology committee decided to utilize the RAND appropriateness method for panel judgment and decisions/consensus. Seventy-three proposed statements were examined and discussed in three conferences held in Bologna, Pisa, and Rome. Each conference included two rounds of face-to-face modified Delphi technique. Anonymous panel voting followed each round. The panel did not reach an agreement and therefore did not adopt any recommendations for six statements. Weak/conditional recommendations were made for 2 statements, and strong recommendations were made for the remaining 65 statements. The statements were then recategorized and grouped to their current format. Internal and external peer-review processes took place before submission of the recommendations. Updates will occur at least every 4 years or whenever significant major changes in evidence appear. This document reflects the overall results of the first consensus conference on “point-of-care” lung ultrasound. Statements were discussed and elaborated by experts who published the vast majority of papers on clinical use of lung ultrasound in the last 20 years. Recommendations were produced to guide implementation, development, and standardization of lung ultrasound in all relevant settings.

/pdf/international-evidence-based-recommendations-for-point-of-4lljrvg27j.pdf

International evidence-based recommendations for point-of-care lung ultrasound.

Relevance of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute respiratory failure: the BLUE protocol.

Atelectasis occurs in the dependent parts of the lungs of most patients who are anesthetized. Development of atelectasis is associated with decreased lung compliance, impairment of oxygenation, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, and development of lung injury. The adverse effects of atelectasis persist into the postoperative period and can impact patient recovery. This review article focuses on the causes, nature, and diagnosis of atelectasis. The authors discuss the effects and implications of atelectasis in the perioperative period and illustrate how preventive measures may impact outcome. In addition, they examine the impact of atelectasis and its prevention in acute lung injury.

Pulmonary atelectasis: a pathogenic perioperative entity.

Objectives:Pneumothorax can be missed by bedside radiography, and computed tomography is the current alternative. We asked whether lung ultrasound could be of any help in this situation.Design:Retrospective study.Setting:The medical intensive care unit of a university-affiliated teaching hospital.Pa

http://www.ultrasoundleadershipacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Crit_Care_Med_2005_Lichtenstein.pdf

Ultrasound diagnosis of occult pneumothorax.

Rationale: In the critically ill patients, lung ultrasound (LUS) is increasingly being used at the bedside for assessing alveolar-interstitial syndrome, lung consolidation, pneumonia, pneumothorax, and pleural effusion. It could be an easily repeatable noninvasive tool for assessing lung recruitment.Objectives: Our goal was to compare the pressure–volume (PV) curve method with LUS for assessing positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)-induced lung recruitment in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome/acute lung injury (ARDS/ALI).Methods: Thirty patients with ARDS and 10 patients with ALI were prospectively studied. PV curves and LUS were performed in PEEP 0 and PEEP 15 cm H2O. PEEP-induced lung recruitment was measured using the PV curve method.Measurements and Main Results: Four LUS entities were defined: consolidation; multiple, irregularly spaced B lines; multiple coalescent B lines; and normal aeration. For each of the 12 lung regions examined, PEEP-induced ultrasound changes were measured, ...

https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1164/rccm.201003-0369OC

Bedside Ultrasound Assessment of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure–induced Lung Recruitment

Objective
Alveolar consolidation is a basic concern in critically ill patients. Radiography is not a precise tool, and referral to CT raises problems (transport, irradiation). The aim of this study was to assess the utility of ultrasound in the diagnosis of alveolar consolidation.

Ultrasound diagnosis of alveolar consolidation in the critically ill.

Objective
Complete atelectasis can be immediately generated by selective intubation. A dynamic lung ultrasound sign can be described as the association of absent lung sliding with the perception of heart activity at the pleural line, a sign which was called “lung pulse.” We examined whether this sign be used promptly to confirm complete atelectasis due to selective intubation.

Nathalie Lascols

Papers

Ultrasound diagnosis of occult pneumothorax.

Ultrasound diagnosis of alveolar consolidation in the critically ill.

The “lung pulse”: an early ultrasound sign of complete atelectasis