OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of bedside thoracic ultrasound according to BLUE protocol and to investigate its superiority over other imaging methods in the emergency service.
METHODS: A total of 120 patients admitted to our institution\'s emergency care department due to respiratory distress have been enrolled in this prospective research. Thorax USG has been performed in the right and left hemithorax at the points specified in the BLUE protocol for each patient. Pleural sliding motion, A-lines, B-lines, consolidation, effusion, and the presence of barcode signs were evaluated individually. Age, sex, comorbid diseases, other radiological examination findings, laboratory findings, final clinical diagnosis, and hospitalization-discharge status of the patients were recorded.
RESULTS: When a correct diagnosis of pneumonia has been analyzed for imaging techniques, the diagnostic rate of chest radiography was 83.3%, CT was 100.0%, and USG was 66.6%. The correct diagnostic rate of chest radiography was 94.5%; CT and USG were 100.0%. The correct diagnosis of pulmonary edema on chest radiography was 94.5%; CT and USG were 100.0%. While the correct diagnosis of pleural effusion on chest radiography and CT was 100.0%, it was 92.3% in USG imaging. Finally, CT and USG imaging performed better than chest radiography in patients with pneumothorax (chest radiography 80.0%, CT and USG 100%).
CONCLUSIONS: USG imaging could be preferred in the diagnosis of pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism, and differential diagnosis at the emergency service.

The utilization of ultrasound has rapidly increased over the past few decades due to its ease of use, wider availability of portable machines, broad applicability, non-invasiveness, and real-time imaging. A varied spectrum of clinical conditions such as diverse lung pathologies and various etiologies of acute circulatory failure can be rapidly ascertained using bedside ultrasonography. It has been shown that lung ultrasonography has more sensitivity than chest x-ray in detecting pulmonary congestion in heart failure, subpleural lung consolidation in pneumonia, and characterizing and detecting even minimal pleural effusions. This review gives an overview of the application of ultrasonography in the evaluation of cardiopulmonary failure which is the most commonly encountered clinical entity in the emergency room (ER). The most feasible bedside tests to predict fluid responsiveness are described in this review. Lastly, essential ultrasonographic protocols that are useful for systematic examination of critically ill patients were presented.

Ultrasonography is a relatively young but widely recognized method of imaging parenchymal organs, including the lungs. Our concise, practical review on transthoracic lung ultrasound (LUS) in the prehospital diagnosis of dyspnea in adults attempts to summarize current knowledge in the field. Furthermore, we discussed POCUS protocols in the analyzed context, discussing their usefulness. We concluded that bedside ultrasonography, or point of care (POCUS), is developing rapidly; however, the knowledge about the use of LUS in a pre-hospital setting is scarce, highlighting the need for further research in this field. Additionally, despite the possibility of using various ultrasound protocols in diagnosing a patient with dyspnea, there is no comprehensive and, at the same time, highly sensitive and specific protocol covering a satisfactory saccade of differential diagnosis of this symptom. It seems reasonable to conduct further targeted research to create such a dedicated solution.

How to cite this article: Govil D, Pachisia AV. Seeing is Believing: The Import of Lung Ultrasound! Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(8):894-895.

BACKGROUND: There is a stigma that ultrasound cannot be used to see abnormalities in the air-filled organs makes ultrasound rarely used to identify lung abnormalities. This study purpose comparing diagnostic accuracy of BLUE protocol with gold standard for each diagnosis causing acute respiratory failure.
METHODS: Systematic search was done in 6 databases (Pubmed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Scopus, Ebscohost/CINAHL dan Proquest) and multiple grey-literature sources for cross-sectional studies. We manually extracted the data from eligible studies and calculated pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, likelihood ratio (LR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). We follow PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline throughout these processes.
RESULTS: Four studies has been picked from total 509 studies involved. The results yield parameters indicating BLUE protocol as a reliable modality to diagnose pneumonia with pooled sensitivity 84% (95% CI, 76-89%),  pooled specificity 98%  (95% CI, 93-99%), LR+ 42 (95% CI, 12-147), LR- 0.12 (95% CI, 0.07-0.2) and DOR 252 (95% CI, 81-788), respectively. It also considerably applicable to diagnose pulmonary oedema with pooled sensitivity 89% (95% CI, 81-93%), pooled specificity 94% (95% CI, 89-96%), LR+ 14 (95% CI, 8-25), LR- 0.165 (95% CI, 0.11-0.24), and DOR 116 (95% CI, 42-320), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: BLUE protocol has good diagnostic accuracy to diagnose pneumonia and pulmonary oedema. We recommend implementing BLUE protocol as a tool in evaluating cause of ARF.

Pulmonary hydatid cyst during pregnancy is extremely rare and life-threatening for the mother and fetus. Throughout pregnancy, hydatid cysts may enlarge due to the suppression of cellular immunity and steroids secreted from the placenta. In late pregnancy, the cysts can reach a huge volume with an increased risk for subsequent rupture due to the compression of the enlarging uterus and anaphylactic shock. Intrabronchial rupture is a rare and life-threatening complication of pulmonary hydatid cysts. It is vital to diagnose it as early as possible and manage patients with surgical intervention with aggressive medical treatment. Plain radiograph, computed tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to identify pulmonary hydatid cysts. However, the diagnosis of hydatid cyst is quite challenging in pregnant patients due to concerns of radiation. Herein, we present a 26-week pregnant patient with acute respiratory failure. Bedside lung ultrasound was notable for thickened and severely broken pleural line with a large subpleural consolidation, and a giant fluid-filled cyst covered almost the entire left thorax, causing a mediastinal shift. In the present case, we highlighted that the bedside lung ultrasound in emergency (BLUE) protocol is an easy, safe, and fast way to identify pulmonary hydatid cyst. It should be the initial technique of choice for the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatid cysts in pregnant patients.

BACKGROUND: Pneumothorax is one of the most common causes of acute dyspnea. In patients under general anesthesia, the symptoms may not be obvious, which may delay diagnosis and treatment. Computed tomography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pneumothorax, but is not suitable for rapid diagnosis of this complication. In contrast, lung ultrasonography can provide rapid diagnosis and treatment of pneumothorax.
METHODS: The patient was a 53-year-old man admitted for rupture of the spleen caused by an accidental fall and emergency splenectomy was planned. Anesthesia was induced, and tracheal intubation was performed successfully with a video laryngoscope. About 2 min after tracheal intubation, the airway peak pressure increased to 50 cm H2O and the oxygen saturation dropped to 70%. According to the BLUE protocol, a recommended area of the chest was scanned by ultrasound. The pleural slide sign disappeared and obvious parallel line sign could be seen in the left lung. The boundary of pneumothorax (lung points) were rapidly confirmed by ultrasound. To avoid lung injury, a closed thoracic drainage tube was placed in the involved area. On day 9 after surgery, the patient was discharged from the hospital without any complications.
CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative pneumothorax is rare but dangerous. It can be rapidly diagnosed and treated with ultrasound guidance.

Point-of-care ultrasound has become firmly established in acute and critical care settings, and is now increasingly being used as an important tool in the assessment of the lungs. In this article, we briefly describe the technique of lung ultrasound and the various lines and signs commonly encountered during sonography of the lung, namely the normally visualised A- and T-lines and the bat sign, sliding sign (power slide sign on colour Doppler), sea-shore sign, curtain sign, and the lung pulse. We have also described signs seen in various pathological conditions like B-lines seen in cases of increased lung density; the quad sign, sinusoid sign, thoracic spine sign, plankton sign and the jelly fish sign seen in pleural effusion; the stratosphere sign and the lung point sign seen in pneumothorax; the shred/fractal sign and tissue-like sign in consolidation, and the double lung point sign seen in transient tachypnoea of the newborn. With adequate and appropriate training, lung ultrasound can be effectively utilised as a point-of-care investigation.

How to cite this article: Kothekar AT. Combined Cardiopulmonary Ultrasound: A Treatment Changing Modality in Acute Respiratory Failure. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(11):1008-1009.

This article reviews the use of thoracic ultrasound in the intensive care unit (ICU). The focus of this article is to review the basic terminology and clinical applications of thoracic ultrasound. The diagnostic approach to a breathless patient, the blue protocol, is presented in a simplified flow chart. The diagnostic application of thoracic ultrasound in lung parenchymal and pleural diseases, role in bedside procedures, diaphragmatic assessment, and lung recruitment are described. Recent updates discussed in this review help support its increasingly indispensable role in the emergent and critical care setting.