Lung consolidation is one of the most causes of hypoxia in intensive care unit(ICU) settings. A quantitative measurement of consolidation would be extremely benefit for the clinical management in hypoxemia, both as an index of severity and to predict outcomes.In order to quantify the lung consolidation and its effect on clinical outcomes, a simple and quantitative scoring system of the size and perfusion of lung consolidation was proposed by lung ultrasound. Subjects with respiratory failure and lung consolidation proved by chest imaging underwent lung ultrasound examination. The size of consolidation and the richness of blood flow was computed upon lung ultrasound. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the scoring system were calculated and compared to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential usefulness of lung ultrasound to assess the size and perfusion of consolidation and explore their relationships with clinical outcome.