Screening COVID-19 by Point-of-care Lung Ultrasound: a Validation Study

COVID-19 is a rapidly spreading and very contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus that can lead to respiratory insufficiency. In many patients, the chest radiograph at first presentation be normal, and early low-dose CT-scan is advocated to diagnose viral pneumonia. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has similar diagnostic properties as CT for diagnosing pneumonia. However, it has the advantage that it can be performed at point-of-care, minimizing the need to transfer the patient, reducing the number of health care personnel and equipment that come in contact with the patient and thus potentially decrease the risk of spreading the infection. This study has the objective to examine the accuracy of lung ultrasound in patients with proven COVID-19 pneumonia.