Lung ultrasound and biomarkers in primary care: Partners for a better management of patients with heart failure?

Introduction: The association of pulmonary congestion assessed by lung ultrasound (LUS) and biomarkers-other than N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)-is uncertain.

Methods: We investigated the relationship between total B-line count by LUS and several biomarkers in outpatients with suspicion of heart failure (HF). Primary care patients with suspected new-onset nonacute HF were evaluated both with a 12-scan LUS protocol (8 anterolateral areas plus 4 lower posterior thoracic areas) and 11 inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers.

Lung Ultrasound for Heart Failure Diagnosis in Primary Care.

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) is useful for diagnosing pulmonary congestion, but its value in primary care remains unclear. We investigated whether LUS improved diagnostic accuracy in outpatients with heart failure (HF) suspicion.

Methods And Results: LUS was performed on 2 anterior (A), 2 lateral (L), and 2 posterior (P) areas per hemithorax.