Chest Ultrasound of ER Patients With Cough or SOB

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Acute dyspnea (shortness of breath) is a common complaint for patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). The chest radiograph (CXR) has been the mainstay in evaluating patients with shortness of breath and often provides the timely diagnosis of pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, among other primary diseases of the lung. There are limitations with chest radiograph such as large body mass (e.g, obesity) and patient positioning. On occasion, chest radiography findings are difficult to interpret. Lung ultrasonography may offer a means of clarifying ambiguous results. The objective of this study to determine the usefulness of point of care lung ultrasound in evaluating patients presenting to the ED with shortness of breath, cough and/or wheezing.

Detailed Description
-----------------
Acute dyspnea (shortness of breath) is a common complaint for patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). The chest radiograph (CXR) has been the mainstay in evaluating patients with shortness of breath and often provides the timely diagnosis of pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, among other primary diseases of the lung. There are limitations with chest radiograph such as large body mass (e.g, obesity) and patient positioning. On occasion, chest radiography findings are difficult to interpret. Lung ultrasonography may offer a means of clarifying ambiguous results. Advantages of ultrasound include real-time immediate evaluation, it is non-invasive and does not use radiation. The investigators seek to perform a prospective evaluation of patients presenting to the University of Washington Medical Center ED for cough, wheezing and/or shortness of breath. The objective of this study to determine the usefulness of point of care lung ultrasound in evaluating patients presenting to the ED with shortness of breath, cough and/or wheezing. The specific aim of this study is to further define the utility of point-of-care ultrasound in the evaluation of emergency department patients presenting with cough, wheezing and/or shortness of breath. The investigators will compare ultrasound results to radiograph and tomography results when available, and to the physicians initial impression.

Official Title
-----------------
Prospective Evaluation With Ultrasound of Emergency Department Patients Presenting With Cough or Dyspnea

Conditions
-----------------
Cough, Dyspnea, Wheezing

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Device: Nuvis Diagnostic Ultrasound System


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Presenting to the Emergency Department with cough, wheezing and/or dyspnea (shortness of breath) Referred for CXR and/or CT scan Exclusion Criteria: Life threatening medical condition requiring immediate treatment Unable to sit up for a chest ultrasound Unable to consent Pregnant Unable to speak, read and write in English

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
No

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Device: Nuvis Diagnostic Ultrasound System|Ultrasound of the chest|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| B-lines on chest ultrasound as a predictor of pulmonary edema and/or pneumonia | Results from the study ultrasound will be correlated with other imaging results and the emergency physicians initial impression. | Up to 1 week | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
Emergency Departments, Chest, Lung, Cough, Dyspnea, Wheezing, Ultrasound, Ultrasonography