Background: Heart Failure (HF) is among the top 10 causes of hospitalization and almost a fifth are readmitted within 30 days. Clinical assessment of lung congestion is subjective and patients may be discharged prior to good resolution. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is helpful in evaluating lung congestion. The presence of B-lines on LUS can reliably indicate [...]

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is emerging as a useful diagnostic tool for several lung pathologies. Some studies have found its accuracy in diagnosing pulmonary edema surpasses that of chest x-ray (CXR) but the available evidence is conflicting. CXR currently receives a Class I recommendation by the AHA in the evaluation of decompensated heart failure. Given [...]

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is emerging as a useful diagnostic tool for several lung pathologies including pulmonary edema. The number of sonographic B-lines on LUS has been used as a test to detect pulmonary congestion in patients with chronic heart failure. However, its ability to detect elevated left-sided filling pressures relative to accepted noninvasive measure [...]

Background: Pulmonary B-lines are a highly sensitive sonographic sign of pulmonary edema in patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) (3). When found prior to discharge, this finding has been shown to accurately predict re-admission and mortality on short term follow up (4,5,6). Inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility can be used as a [...]