Pre-Hospital Lung Ultrasound Impact on Diagnosis

Acute heart failure (AHF) is a major reason patients seek emergency care and is a significant public health burden. The ability to differentiate AHF from other etiologies of dyspnea remains a challenge as symptoms and physical exam findings overlap, especially in the pre-hospital setting where diagnostic tools are not readily available. The inability to differentiate AHF from other causes of dyspnea leads to misdiagnosis, delays in diagnosis, and ultimately delays in appropriate treatment. Delays in initiating HF therapies is associated with poor outcomes including higher rates of in-hospital mortality and longer hospital length of stay. Optimizing treatment for AHF in the pre-hospital setting is associated with increased survival and lower rates of hospital re-admission. Thus, accurate diagnosis and early treatment for AHF in the pre-hospital setting remains a critical unmet need. Lung ultrasound (LUS), through assessment of B-lines, allows for an easy and accurate method for detection of pulmonary congestion seen in AHF patients. Although multiple studies have shown LUS is easy to learn, there is a paucity of data assessing clinical impact of LUS in the pre-hospital setting. The investigators hypothesize that the use of LUS by pre-hospital personnel will improve accuracy for detecting AHF in the pre-hospital setting when compared to usual care (no LUS). Specific Aims: To determine if the use of pre-hospital LUS improves diagnostic accuracy for detecting AHF in patients transported by emergency medical services (EMS) for acute dyspnea when compared to usual care (no LUS).