The safety of pulmonary ultrasonography in the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

Introduction: Due to specific anatomy of children are more vulnerable to the carcinogenic effects of ionizing radiation from chest X-rays. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a validated procedure which can easily be used in diagnosing pathologies of the neonatal lung. However, experimental studies have shown that low frequency ultrasound may induce pulmonary capillary hemorrhage (PCH). Aim of the study: To evaluate the potential relationship between lung ultrasound and pulmonary hemorrhage in very low birth weight infants.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients and methods: We analysed the medical records of very low birth weight infants admitted to our neonatal tertiary centre between 2008 and 2011 (group 1), when CXR was the main procedure used to evaluate the respiratory system, and between 2013 and 2016 (group 2), when LUS became a routine procedure, replacing the chest X-ray.

RESULTS

Results: 297 infants were enrolled in the first group and 286 in the second group, respectively. There was no difference in the frequency of pulmonary hemorrhages between the two groups (p=1). In the first group there was only one episode of PCH and in the second group no PCH was seen. Statistically significant differences were seen in a number of patients with pulmonary hemorrhage risk factors: surfactant administration (p<0.001), mechanical ventilation (p=0.0003), and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (p=0.025).

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Routine lung ultrasound appears to be safe in very low birth weight infants; there were no episodes of pulmonary hemorrhage.