What is the Diagnostic Value of Lung Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Patients with Dyspnea? A Narrative Review

Importance Dyspnea is a common symptom that contributes to more than 4 million emergency department visits each year in the United States. The history and physical examination alone are frequently insufficient to make a definitive diagnosis in patients with dyspnea without the aid of additional imaging. Lung point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) represents a bedside examination tool that can rapidly narrow the differential diagnosis for the etiology of dyspnea. We review the test characteristics of POCUS for diagnosing common pulmonary etiologies of dyspnea, which can aid clinicians to better manage their patients using POCUS. Review Findings We examined the test characteristics of lung POCUS for the diagnosis of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pneumonia, and pulmonary edema through a narrative review of published studies. For all etiologies, lung POCUS improved diagnostic accuracy beyond the history and physical examination and outperformed chest X-ray with respect to test characteristics.