Description of basic competencies in clinical ultrasound imaging for emergency departments. / Competencias básicas de la ecografía clínica en los servicios de urgencias y emergencias.

TEXT: Recent years have seen great advances in the use of clinical ultrasound imaging in both hospital emergency departments and out-of-hospital settings. However, all new techniques require up-to-date definitions of competencies relevant to the clinical realities of different specialties and the geographic settings in which specialists work. To that end, a group of experts in clinical ultrasound reviewed the evidence available in the literature and strictly applied the Delphi method to define the competencies relevant to emergency physicians. The group worked with the starting premise that clinical ultrasound imaging should be a common competency across the specialty.

TEXTO: En los últimos años, la ecografía clínica (EC) ha sufrido un avance muy importante en su implantación dentro de los servicios de urgencias, tanto hospitalarios como extrahospitalarios, pero como toda técnica requiere un ámbito competencial definido, actualizado y enmarcado, tanto en la realidad clínica de la especialidad que desempeñamos como en la geográfica del país donde ejercemos. Por ello, un grupo de expertos en la materia ha desarrollado el presente documento en el que basándose por un lado en la evidencia disponible en la bibliografía científica y por otro en una metodología Delphi, planteó el objetivo de establecer un claro marco competencial base para todos los urgenciólogos, asumiendo como premisa inicial que la EC debería ser una competencia transversal común.

Lung ultrasound for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia: an international multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To analyze the application of a lung ultrasound (LUS)-based diagnostic approach to patients suspected of COVID-19, combining the LUS likelihood of COVID-19 pneumonia with patient's symptoms and clinical history. METHODS: This is an international multicenter observational study in 20 US and European hospitals. Patients suspected of COVID-19 were tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test and had an LUS examination. We identified three clinical phenotypes based on pre-existing chronic diseases (mixed phenotype), and on the presence (severe phenotype) or absence (mild phenotype) of signs and/or symptoms of respiratory failure at presentation. We defined the LUS likelihood of COVID-19 pneumonia according to four different patterns: high (HighLUS), intermediate (IntLUS), alternative (AltLUS), and low (LowLUS) probability. The combination of patterns and phenotypes with RT-PCR results was described and analyzed. RESULTS: We studied 1462 patients, classified in mild (n = 400), severe (n = 727), and mixed (n = 335) phenotypes. HighLUS and IntLUS showed an overall sensitivity of 90.2% (95% CI 88.23-91.97%) in identifying patients with positive RT-PCR, with higher values in the mixed (94.7%) and severe phenotype (97.1%), and even higher in those patients with objective respiratory failure (99.3%). The HighLUS showed a specificity of 88.8% (CI 85.55-91.65%) that was higher in the mild phenotype (94.4%; CI 90.0-97.0%). At multivariate analysis, the HighLUS was a strong independent predictor of RT-PCR positivity (odds ratio 4.2, confidence interval 2.6-6.7, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Combining LUS patterns of probability with clinical phenotypes at presentation can rapidly identify those patients with or without COVID-19 pneumonia at bedside. This approach could support and expedite patients' management during a pandemic surge.

Ultrasound imaging obtained by emergency department physicians to diagnose deep vein thrombosis: accuracy, safety, and efficiency. / Precisión, seguridad y eficiencia de la ecografía realizada por urgenciólogos en el diagnóstico de la trombosis venosa profunda en servicios de urgencias hospitalarios.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy, safety, and efficiency of ultrasound images obtained by emergency physician to diagnose deep vein thrombosis (DVT). patients with acute heart failure (AHF) attended in a hospital emergency department (ED). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective multicenter cohort study. We assigned patients suspected of having DVT to an intervention or control group. Emergency physicians took ultrasound images that were later evaluated by a radiologist in the intervention group. In the control group, images were evaluated only by the radiologist. We analyzed patient, physician, and episode variables. Test results, times until imaging, and 30-day adverse events were also analyzed. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and agreement between physicians and radiologists (κ statistic) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 304 patients (209 in the intervention group and 95 controls) were included. The groups were comparable. The overall prevalence of DVT was 35.5% (95% CI, 30.3-41.0). The sensitivity of ultrasound images obtained by emergency physicians was superior in relation to experience: 71.4 (95% CI, 50.0-86.0) for those in a training course, 75.0 (95% CI, 80.0-95.4) for those with at least 2 months' practical experience, and 94.7 (95% CI, 82.7-98.5) for routine users. Specificity statistics for the 3 levels of physician experience were 83.3 (95% CI 55.2- 95.2), 100 (95% CI 83.0-100), and 96.6 (95% CI 88.4-99.0), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios for ultrasound imaging by physicians were 27.94 and 0.054, respectively. The κ statistic was 0.80. Mean (SD) time until a physician took ultrasound images was 1.81 (1.46) hours versus 4.39 (1.81) hours until a radiologist obtained images (P = .007). Three deaths occurred within 30 days. They were not attributable to recurrence or bleeding. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound images taken by emergency physicians to diagnose DVT are accurate and safe and may be efficient. However, routine experience with ultrasound is necessary.

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la precisión, la seguridad y la eficiencia de la ecografía realizada por urgenciólogos para el diagnóstico de la trombosis venosa profunda (TVP). METODO: Estudio prospectivo multicéntrico de cohortes que incluyó pacientes con sospecha de TVP asignados a un grupo intervención (evaluados ecográficamente por el urgenciólogo y posteriormente por el radiólogo) y a un grupo control (evaluados únicamente por el radiólogo). Se analizaron las variables relacionadas con el paciente, el urgenciólogo, el episodio, el resultado de la prueba y los tiempos de estancia y acontecimientos a 30 días. Se calcularon la sensibilidad, la especificidad, las razones de verosimilitud positiva y negativa, y el índice kappa. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 304 pacientes (95 control, 209 intervención). Ambos grupos fueron comparables. La prevalencia de TVP en la cohorte global fue de 35,5% (IC 95% 30,3-41,0). La sensibilidad de la ecografía realizada por urgenciólogos fue superior según la experiencia-curso vs meses vs uso habitual: 71,4 (IC 95% 50,0-86,0) vs 75,0 (IC 95% 80,0-95,4) vs 94,7 (IC 95% 82,7-98,5), así como la especificidad 83,3 (IC 95% 55,2-95,2) vs 100 (IC 95% 83,0- 100) vs 96,6 (IC 95% 88,4-99,0). Las razones de verosimilitud positiva y negativa para la ecografía realizada por urgenciólogos fueron del 27,94 y del 0,054, respectivamente. El índice de kappa fue de 0,80. El tiempo hasta la realización de la ecografía por el urgenciólogo fue de 1,81 (DE 1,46) frente a 4,39 (DE 1,81) horas del radiólogo (p = 0,007). Durante el seguimiento a 30 días, se registraron 3 muertes, ninguna de ellas por recurrencia o hemorragia. CONCLUSIONES: La ecografía realizada por urgenciólogos para el diagnóstico de TVP es precisa, segura y podría resultar eficiente. Sin embargo, se requiere de experiencia basada en el uso habitual de esta técnica.