Lung ultrasound score as a tool to assess pulmonary ventilation and disease severity in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of lung ultrasound (LUS) in assessing pulmonary ventilation status in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

METHODS

A total of 35 ARDS patients aged 29-93 years, admitted to the Anesthesiology Intensive Care Unit and scheduled for chest computed tomography (CT), were retrospectively analyzed. Prior to the CT scan, arterial blood gas samples were collected, and LUS scores were obtained using a Sonostar portable ultrasound device. Based on the Berlin definition, patients were categorized into mild ARDS and moderate-to-severe ARDS groups. Lung density, lung volume, proportions of lung volume in different ventilation states, and LUS scores were compared between the groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between LUS scores and other parameters.

RESULTS

Lung density, LUS scores, and the proportion of collapsed lung volume were significantly higher in the moderate-to-severe ARDS group than those in the mild ARDS group (all P < 0.05). In patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS, LUS scores showed a moderate correlation with the oxygenation index, lung density, and the proportion of collapsed lung volume. In mild ARDS patients, no significant correlation was observed between LUS scores and these parameters.

CONCLUSION

LUS is an effective, non-invasive tool for evaluating pulmonary ventilation status in ARDS patients and is particularly reliable in assessing ventilation status in those with moderate-to-severe ARDS.