Chest Ultrasound of ER Patients With Cough or SOB

March 17, 2023 updated by: Theodore Dubinsky, University of Washington

Prospective Evaluation With Ultrasound of Emergency Department Patients Presenting With Cough or Dyspnea

Acute dyspnea (shortness of breath) is a common complaint for patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). The chest radiograph (CXR) has been the mainstay in evaluating patients with shortness of breath and often provides the timely diagnosis of pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, among other primary diseases of the lung. There are limitations with chest radiograph such as large body mass (e.g, obesity) and patient positioning. On occasion, chest radiography findings are difficult to interpret. Lung ultrasonography may offer a means of clarifying ambiguous results.

The objective of this study to determine the usefulness of point of care lung ultrasound in evaluating patients presenting to the ED with shortness of breath, cough and/or wheezing.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Acute dyspnea (shortness of breath) is a common complaint for patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). The chest radiograph (CXR) has been the mainstay in evaluating patients with shortness of breath and often provides the timely diagnosis of pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, among other primary diseases of the lung. There are limitations with chest radiograph such as large body mass (e.g, obesity) and patient positioning. On occasion, chest radiography findings are difficult to interpret. Lung ultrasonography may offer a means of clarifying ambiguous results. Advantages of ultrasound include real-time immediate evaluation, it is non-invasive and does not use radiation.

The investigators seek to perform a prospective evaluation of patients presenting to the University of Washington Medical Center ED for cough, wheezing and/or shortness of breath.

The objective of this study to determine the usefulness of point of care lung ultrasound in evaluating patients presenting to the ED with shortness of breath, cough and/or wheezing.

The specific aim of this study is to further define the utility of point-of-care ultrasound in the evaluation of emergency department patients presenting with cough, wheezing and/or shortness of breath. The investigators will compare ultrasound results to radiograph and tomography results when available, and to the physicians initial impression.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

20

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
        • University of Washington Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Emergency Department (ED) patients with shortness of breath (SOB)

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Presenting to the Emergency Department with cough, wheezing and/or dyspnea (shortness of breath)
  • Referred for CXR and/or CT scan

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Life threatening medical condition requiring immediate treatment
  • Unable to sit up for a chest ultrasound
  • Unable to consent
  • Pregnant
  • Unable to speak, read and write in English

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
B-lines on chest ultrasound as a predictor of pulmonary edema and/or pneumonia
Time Frame: Up to 1 week
Results from the study ultrasound will be correlated with other imaging results and the emergency physicians initial impression.
Up to 1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Washington

Collaborators

Philips Healthcare

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 3, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 17, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

October 21, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 22, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 17, 2023

Last Verified

March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 47935

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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