• Maya Harel-Sterling, Mamadou Diallo, Sabeena Santhirakumaran, Timea Maxim, and Mark Tessaro.
• Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• J Ultrasound Med. 2019 Feb 1; 38 (2): 407-414.

ObjectivesPoint-of-care lung ultrasonography (US) is an alternative to chest radiography for imaging of suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. We compared pediatric emergency department (ED) time metrics between children who received point-of-care lung US versus chest radiography. Secondary objectives were comparisons of health system costs and other resources in these imaging groups.MethodsThis work was a retrospective matched cohort study of children aged 0 to 18 years in an academic urban pediatric ED who were imaged for suspected CAP with either point-of-care lung US or chest radiography.ResultsA total of 202 patients (101 in each group) were included in the study. The point-of-care lung US group spent a mean of 75.9 (SE, 14.3) minutes less from physician assessment to discharge (P < .0001) and 60.9 (SE, 18.1) minutes less in the overall ED length of stay (P = .0008). Physician billings and facility fees were both significantly lower (P < .0001) in the point-of-care lung US group, for a mean health systems savings of CAN$187.1 (SE, CAN$21.9).ConclusionsIn children undergoing imaging for suspected CAP in our pediatric ED, point-of-care lung US by pediatric emergency medicine physicians was associated with decreased time and cost compared with chest radiography.© 2018 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

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