| Title: |
LUNG ULTRASOUND IN RULING OUT COVID-19 AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN TWO ITALIAN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS: A MULTICENTER STUDY. |
| Authors: |
Copetti, Roberto; Amore, Giulia; Giudice, Caterina; Orso, Daniele; Cola, Silvia; Pillinini, Pierpaolo; Rocco, Chiara; Cappello, Dario; Dibenedetto, Alessia; Meduri, Stefano |
| Publisher Information: |
Authorea, Inc. |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
The Winnower (via CrossRef) |
| Description: |
Purpose: The high percentage of asymptomatic patients and the non-high sensitivity of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on nasopharyngeal swab cause some healthcare workers to be infected but asymptomatic and a source of spread of the epidemic. This study aimed to verify if the lung ultrasound (LUS) had enough high negative predictive value to rule out coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among a population of healthcare workers operating in the Emergency Department. Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted, enrolling healthcare workers among the staff of two Emergency Departments in Northeast Italy. The definitive diagnosis of COVID-19 was established by an adjudication committee, based on the clinical data and RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swab result. Results: From March 30, 2020, to April 22, 2020, we enrolled 155 cases. The adjudication committee determined two true positives for COVID-19. Twenty-one healthcare workers presented suggestive symptoms (2 true positives and 19 false positives). The nasopharyngeal swab was positive in one case (1 false-negative case). LUS was suggestive for COVID-19 pneumonia in 4 cases (2 false-positive cases). The diagnostic accuracy of LUS was 98.7% (95% CI 95.4%-99.8%). The sensitivity and the specificity of LUS were 100% (95% CI 15.8% -100%) and 98.7% (95% CI 95.4% - 99.8%), respectively. The negative predictive value was 100% (95% CI 100% -100%). Conclusion: LUS has a good enough negative predictive value for ruling out COVID-19 in a population of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19. |
| Document Type: |
other/unknown material |
| Language: |
unknown |
| DOI: |
10.22541/au.161470615.53095279/v1 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.22541/au.161470615.53095279/v1 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.D7212133 |
| Database: |
BASE |