Imaging of COVID-19 in critical care with a focus on chest ultrasound

Imaging methods available at the bedside have become an indispensable part of the diagnostic process of COVID-19 in the intensive care setting. Chest ultrasound has been established as an exquisite bedside imaging tool to assess and diagnose a myriad of lung pathologies, assess the pleural space and diaphragm, and ultimately gauge therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, vital information can be attained on the haemodynamic status of a patient when chest ultrasound is combined with echocardiography and Doppler vascular assessment. Bedside chest x-ray has its technical limitations, is not sensitive in early stages of the disease, and exposes patients to radiation. Computed tomography has great spatial resolution and all the structures in the chest can be assessed, but on the other hand, it requires patient transport and exposes them to radiation and the potential side effects of contrast administration. Recently, chest ultrasound has proved to be extremely useful during the COVID-19 pandemic in assessing COVID-19 pneumonia and its complications with a resultant reduction in potential infectious cross-contamination of staff and patients due to transport to and from the radiology department. In this review, the authors compare the three most frequent modalities of chest imaging in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in critical care, with a focus on the benefits of chest ultrasound.