Canadian Emergency Department COVID-19 Lung Point of Care Ultrasound Study

For many COVID-19 patients, the emergency department is their first point of contact for care. Once they arrive, patients are assessed by emergency physicians and nurses who perform diagnostic tests, including bloodwork and chest imaging. Several small studies suggest that pulmonary point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)-the practise of using a portable ultrasound device to diagnose conditions of the lungs wherever a patient is being treated-may reveal several characteristic findings, but the diagnostic accuracy of these findings remains unknown. The aim of this project is to determine if pulmonary POCUS can be used as a rapid, reproducible, non-invasive diagnostic test to diagnose COVID-19 and aid in its management. Dr. Kim is specifically interested in discovering the pulmonary POCUS findings most predictive of the diagnosis of COVID-19 and determining a diagnostic threshold, or scoring system, based on those findings that can predict the diagnosis of COVID-19. Dr. Kim will also be examining whether specific pulmonary POCUS findings are predictive of disease severity and prognosis.