Respiratory care
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Lung Ultrasound Prior to Spontaneous Breathing Trial Is Not Helpful in the Decision to Wean.
Lung ultrasound is increasingly becoming a diagnostic tool in the critical care setting. B-pattern on a lung ultrasound is an artifact composed of multiple B-lines and correlates with interstitial edema. A randomized controlled trial concluded that bedside thoracic ultrasound could predict postextubation distress through changes in lung aeration during a weaning procedure; however, it could not screen patients before performance of a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). ⋯ B-pattern detected by a simplified lung ultrasound protocol should not preclude hemodynamically stable, sufficiently oxygenated patients from performing an SBT.