Lung Ultrasound as First-Line Examination for the Diagnosis of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children

A popular topic in the field of pediatric medicine is how to perform diagnostic tests while minimizing future risk factors to this patient population. The topic of radiation reduction is particularly important. The investigators suggest one area in pediatric emergency medicine where we could potentially decrease chest xray radiation is in the diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) by utilizing lung ultrasound instead of a chest xray. They authors note that since pneumonia is a significant cause of mortality in children throughout the world, the use of ultrasound instead of chest radiograph could potentially eliminate a significant amount of radiation exposure in the pediatric population.
Source: The Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Abstract Source Type: research