Chinese scientists share experience of lung ultrasonography on COVID-19 patients
Xinhua
1584523690000

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) - Chinese scientists have shared the ultrasonographic features of the novel coronavirus pneumonia and the treatment experience of lung ultrasonography on patients.

138890232_15844977436861n.jpg

Staff members help inbound passengers transfer luggage at the New China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, capital of China, March 17, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

A medical team used ultrasonography to treat patients severely infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the long-term fight against the epidemic.

Deaths caused by respiratory failure and multiple organ failure have become a major difficulty in the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients, according to a report by the Science and Technology Daily.

Lung ultrasonography can facilitate bedside dynamic assessment, said Zhang Lina, the team leader and professor of intensive care medicine from Xiangya Hospital in central China's Hunan Province.

Compared with the early chest computerized tomography (CT), ultrasonography is more effective in screening respiratory failure causes, assessing the severity of the disease, tracking its evolution, as well as providing individualized guidance for treatment, Zhang added.

In the application of chest CT, the high contagiousness of COVID-19 and the risk of transporting unstable patients with hypoxemia and hemodynamic failure made it a limited option for severe cases, according to the team.

The findings are published in the journal Intensive Care Medicine, and they are expected to contribute to the diagnosis and control of COVID-19 worldwide, said the report.