Abstract

Objective:

Lung involvement is commonly seen in patients with coronavirus disease-2019. In such cases, mechanical ventilation support and patient positioning are used to improve oxygenation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of positioning performed under the guidance of ultrasound-guided patient positioning.

Materials and Methods:

Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent lung ultrasonography and those who did not. Patients who underwent lung ultrasonography were positioned in a way that the region with larger infiltration area was upwards and then the groups were compared.

Results:

Arterial blood gas values of 103 patients were evaluated. An increased partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) values at 2 and 12 hours after positioning was statistically significant in patients who were positioned under ultrasound guidance. In the group who did not undergo ultrasonography, an increased PaO2 values was observed at 12 hours. When patients were evaluated according to their positions, an increased PaO2 values at 2 and 12 hours was statistically significant in the right lateral decubitus position. An increased PaO2 values was observed in prone position; however, it was not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

In our study, an increased oxygenation was observed in a short time, i.e., 2 hours, when patients were positioned under ultrasound guidance.

Keywords: Lung ultrasonography, COVID-19, intensive care, acute respiratory distress syndrome, prone position, intensive care unit

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite?

1.
Genç Moralar D, Aygen Türkmen Ü, Vahapoğlu A, Gökçenoğlu H, Kaya Gök A. Significance of Lung Ultrasonography in the Follow-up and Treatment of Patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019 Having Respiratory Failure. Turk J Intensive Care. 2021;19:44-53. https://doi.org/10.4274/tybd.galenos.2021.30592