Anest. intenziv. Med. 2019;30(1):22-26 | DOI: 10.36290/aim.2019.004

Pre-hospital diagnosis of interstitial lung disease in patients presenting with shortness of breath - case seriesCase Report

R. Škulec^1,2,3

¹ Klinika anesteziologie, perioperační a intenzivní medicíny, Univerzita J. E. Purkyně a Masarykova nemocnice v Ústí nad Labem

² Zdravotnická záchranná služba Středočeského kraje, Kladno

³ Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové, Lékařská fakulta v Hradci Králové, Univerzita Karlova

The author presents a case series of four patients presenting with shortness of breath who have been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease in the pre-hospital setting based on a combination of clinical examination and Point-of-Care chest ultrasound. Further specialized examinations in the hospital confirmed the diagnosis in all of them. The common primary diagnostic finding was a combination of severe shortness of breath, ultrasound finding of bilateral alveolo-interstitial syndrome with irregular distribution, bilateral weakening of pleural sliding and absence of echocardiographic signs of heart failure. The author discusses the potential contribution of Point-of-Care ultrasonography to making the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease during primary emergency examination of patients with shortness of breath.

Keywords: shortness of breath; interstitial lung disease; Point-of-Care ultrasound

Received: October 17, 2018; Accepted: January 13, 2019; Published: February 1, 2019  Show citation