A lung ultrasound can help doctors quickly assess if a pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia is at risk for respiratory failure, according to research published in the April issue of Anesthesiology (Vol. 120:4, pp. 906-914).
To evaluate the ability of lung ultrasound to detect pulmonary edema, a research team from Aix Marseille University in France performed both lung ultrasound and cardiac ultrasound before and after delivery in 20 women with severe pre-eclampsia. Lung ultrasound identified pulmonary edema in five (25%) of the 20 women prior to delivery, while cardiac ultrasound identified the condition in four (20%) of the women. Lung ultrasound detected one patient with noncardiac pulmonary edema that was not spotted by the cardiac ultrasound.
The lung ultrasound results could help ensure that pregnant women with pulmonary edema are not given intravenous or excess fluids, which worsens the condition and can lead to respiratory failure, according to lead author Dr. Laurent Zieleskiewicz and colleagues. Lung ultrasound can also be used in real-time to monitor improvement or worsening of pulmonary edema, the group noted.
