Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Findings and Impact on Vaping

February 11, 2026 updated by: Medical University of South Carolina

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Findings and Impact on Vaping Behaviors in Adolescents

Vaping has emerged as a prominent public health crisis in recent years. In 2023, the National Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than 2.1 million adolescents endorse vaping, with 25% of those endorsing daily use. Many adolescents also perceive vapes as safer than cigarettes, and more acceptable to use both indoors and outdoors compared to cigarettes. Vapes are available in numerous device and delivery systems, with the psychoactive agent commonly including nicotine or cannabis, although these can be of a wide variety of concentrations and formulations. They may be ultra-compact and allow for ease of concealment. In addition, they are produced in a variety of appealing flavorings such as candy, desserts, and fruits. Other constituents include the liquids and aerosolized components of the vaping cartridges, including formaldehyde, acetone, glycerol, propylene glycol, acetaldehyde, and heavy metals. Many of the flavoring concentrates, as well as the vaporized solvents, have not been evaluated for long term safety. One of these additives, vitamin E acetate, present in primarily illicit vaping devices, rose to national attention in 2019 for a suspected link to the dramatic increase in vaping/e-cigarette associated lung injury (EVALI) cases, with over 60 confirmed deaths since that time.

To our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the lung ultrasound findings of asymptomatic vapers. However, there is data to suggest that vaping can lead to pulmonary toxicity in in-vitro and animal models, including increased inflammatory cytokines, hyperreactivity, and oxidative stress. In addition, studies found the risk of bronchitic symptoms is twice as likely in current adolescent vapers, compared to those who have never vaped before. Given the potential pulmonary toxicity of vaping, as well as the increased percentage of adolescent vaping activity in recent years, investigators aim to evaluate baseline lung ultrasound findings in adolescents who vape. Concurrently, investigators will assess if observing their lung ultrasound findings can alter their attitudes and behaviors towards vaping. Prior adult studies have found that showing patients' their atherosclerosis plaque increased the motivation to quit and cessation rates. Additionally, data in pregnant patients found real-time ultrasound feedback of smoking effects on the fetus lead to near abstinence in light smokers. Given the frequent use of point-of-care ultrasound in the emergency department, investigators hope to assess an innovative intervention for cessation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

90

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
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29412
        • Medical University of South Carolina

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ages 12-18 years of age
  • Has own individual cell phone or email for communication
  • Member of a vaping history group that is not yet full for enrollment (ex: up to 100 vapers, up to 100 non-vapers)
  • Able to speak and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic Lung Disease
  • History of pneumothorax
  • Prior thoracic surgery including VATS (Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery)
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Current or prior cancer
  • Significant congenital heart disease
  • Acute upper respiratory infection (cough or congestion in the last 3 days)
  • Acute chest trauma
  • Acute pulmonary embolism
  • Sedation medication administered prior to study image acquisition
  • Known allergy or sensitivity to ultrasound gel
  • Significant acute psychosis, mania, or suicidal ideation
  • Any other medical or psychiatric condition or other significant concern that in the investigator's opinion would impact participant safety or compliance with study instructions, or potentially confound the interpretation of findings
  • Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal guardian/representative to give informed consent/assent.

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

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: standard vaping cessation counseling (SOC) + ultrasound (US)
Participants will receive SOC via a publicly available infographic from the Food and Drug Administration). They will also be provided with a discussion of lung US findings
Behavioral: Discussion of point-of-care ultrasound lung findings

The investigator will obtain point-of-care ultrasound images to assess the lung findings in 12 lung fields. These 12 lung fields will include the standard protocol of the upper and lower halves of the anterior, lateral, and posterior chest bilaterally. Subjects' ultrasound images will be scored using a modified lung ultrasound score (LUS). Each of the 12 lung fields will be scored from 0-5, with a total score of 0-60 (noted below). The participants will watch their ultrasound being performed, looking at their lungs in real time. Then, the ultrasound findings will be discussed with the participant.

Modified LUS 0: No B-lines present

  1. 1 well-defined B-line
  2. 2-3 well-defined B-lines
  3. >3 B-lines
  4. Confluent B-lines

  5. Lobar consolidation

    • C: Noted if subpleural consolidation present
    • E: Noted if pleural effusion present
No Intervention: Standard vaping cessation counseling (SOC) alone
Participants will receive a SOC alone. They will be kept blinded to their lung point-of-care ultrasound findings and will not be able to visualize the images as the ultrasound is performed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Lung Ultrasound Findings
Time Frame: Day 1

The purpose of this study is to establish the lung findings in vaping adolescents, specifically point-of-care ultrasound scores, and to identify factors such as age, sex, race, and vital signs, that contribute to variability in lung findings. Each of the 12 lung fields will be scored from 0-5, with a total score of 0-60. The modified LUS is defined below.

Modified LUS 0: No B-lines present

  1. 1 well-defined B-line
  2. 2-3 well-defined B-lines
  3. >3 B-lines
  4. Confluent B-lines

  5. Lobar consolidation

    • C: Noted if subpleural consolidation present
    • E: Noted if pleural effusion present
Day 1
Behavioral Changes
Time Frame: Day 1, at 2 weeks, at 2 months
Questionnaire to assess if observing lung findings can alter adolescents' vaping behaviors, risk perception, behavioral intent, and motivation to quit.
Day 1, at 2 weeks, at 2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Medical University of South Carolina

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

July 17, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 11, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

February 11, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 14, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 21, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 11, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00133616

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Clinical Trials on Vaping

Clinical Trials on Discussion of point-of-care ultrasound lung findings

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Kosovo

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe