Diagnostic value of lung ultrasonographic parameters in predicting outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in oxygen-dependent patients requiring intensive care unit treatment

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14739/2310-1210.2024.3.300779

Keywords:

coronavirus disease, COVID-19, lung, diagnostic ultrasound, lung ultrasound, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis

Abstract

The aim – to determine the diagnostic value of lung ultrasound parameters in predicting outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in oxygen-dependent patients requiring intensive care unit treatment.

Materials and methods. We examined 105 patients with COVID-19 who needed supplemental oxygen and were treated in the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care. The age of patients ranged between 39 and 80 years, 63 participants were male and 42 – female. To determine the diagnostic value of lung ultrasound parameters in predicting the severe course of COVID-19 in oxygen-dependent patients, they were divided into groups: Group I – recovered patients (n = 39); Group II – patients with a fatal outcome (n = 66). In all the patients, the diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by RNA-SARS-CoV-2 detection in nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The patients were examined and treated according to the Protocol of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The lung ultrasound protocol used in the study included 14 lung examination zones and a score of lung tissue infiltration degree from 0 to 3 points. Statistical processing of the data was performed with Statistica for Windows 13 (StatSoft Inc., No. JPZ804I382130ARCN10-J).

Results. In oxygen-dependent patients with severe COVID-19 and a fatal outcome, infiltrative changes in the lung parenchyma were more severe based on the lung ultrasound total score both at the time of admission (p < 0.01) and after 5 days of treatment (p < 0.01). The cutoff score of ≥19 at the time of hospitalization (AUC = 0.753, p < 0.01; sensitivity – 76.9 %, specificity – 68.2 %) and ≥17 after 5 days of treatment (AUC = 0.799, p < 0.01; sensitivity – 71.4 %, specificity – 92.1 %) had a prognostic value for assessing the risk of death in oxygen-dependent patients with severe COVID-19. A lung ultrasound score >19 at the time of admission increased the risk of death by 2.96 times (RR = 2.96, 95 % CI 1.43–2.87, p < 0.001). Lung ultrasound found pleural effusion only in oxygen-dependent COVID-19 patients who died. In the treatment dynamics after 5 days, the rate of pleural effusion detection in this group of patients was three times increased (from 9.1 % to 27.3 %, p < 0.01).

Conclusions. The study has revealed the diagnostic value of lung ultrasound parameters in predicting outcomes of COVID-19 in oxygen-dependent patients requiring intensive care unit treatment. Cutoffs of the total score characterizing the degree of lung tissue infiltration have been determined, that allowing to assert a high probability for a lethal outcome of the disease.

Author Biographies

K. V. Kalashnyk, Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Ukraine

MD, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases

M. Yu. Kolesnyk, Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Ukraine

MD, PhD DSc, Professor of the Department of Therapy and Cardiology, Educational and Scientific Institute of Postgraduate Education

O. V. Riabokon, Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Ukraine

MD, PhD, DSc, Professor, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases

V. V. Cherkaskiy, Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Ukraine

MD, Assistant of the Department of Infectious Diseases

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Published

2024-05-31

How to Cite

1.
Kalashnyk KV, Kolesnyk MY, Riabokon OV, Cherkaskiy VV. Diagnostic value of lung ultrasonographic parameters in predicting outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in oxygen-dependent patients requiring intensive care unit treatment. Zaporozhye Medical Journal [Internet]. 2024May31 [cited 2026May21];26(3):184-91. Available from: https://zmj.zsmu.edu.ua/article/view/300779

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 3 (2024)

Section

Original research

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