COVID-19 Ultrasound

Utilizing Ultrasound for COVID-19

Learn more about how ultrasound can be used in the COVID-19 pandemic.

covid ultrasound

At Siemens Healthineers we stand with our customers and their patients during this unprecedented time. We are working hard to provide the best possible support to healthcare providers at each stage of COVID-19 patient care.

Our objective, at this critical time and always, is to support our healthcare professionals, in delivering high-value care to patients and families. We will remain focused on this goal during these difficult days and will continue to work with all of our stakeholders to ensure that we overcome this challenge.

COVID-19 and Ultrasound

COVID-19

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease that causes severe acute respiratory distress also referred to as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Symptoms are fever, dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath. Cases can progress to pneumonia and multi-organ failure.

Clinical findings:

  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Continuous cough
  • Pneumonia
  • Multi-organ failure

Lung Ultrasound

Ultrasound of the lung is a fairly new exam. With the high acoustic mismatch between soft tissue and air, typically we cannot image the lung due to total reflection of the ultrasound beam. In recent years, clinicians found that different conditions may cause ultrasound artifacts that can help diagnose different lung pathology. Lung ultrasound is strongly recommended for acute respiratory failure and can be a useful alternative during the COVID-19 outbreak if CT is not readily available. (A “strong correlation” has been shown between ultrasound and CT findings with patients who presented with flu-like symptoms and COVID-19 pneumonia.*)

COVID-19 tends to affect the terminal alveoli in the peripheral area of the lung. Lesions tend to be close to the pleura which is exactly where ultrasound works best.

Bedside Ultrasound

Ultrasound findings:

  • Thickened, irregular pleural line (broken glass appearance) Seen with COVID-19
  • B-lines (patchy areas seen in viral pneumonia with some normal looking lung)
  • Confluence (multiple B-lines that join together)
  • Consolidation (solidification of lung tissue; tissue and fluid where air would normally be)
  • Pleural Effusion (fluid in the chest cavity)  
covid

Download our Case Study Poster to learn about the progression of COVID-19 in the lungs and how ultrasound can monitor each stage.

Disinfection Information

care

We recognize that disinfection of equipment and systems is more important than ever. Access the below links for the latest information on our disinfection protocols for our ultrasound systems and their related parts.

Solutions

All of our ultrasound systems are available with remote service support options to reduce downtime and provide a seamless experience for you and your patients.

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