Emergency ultrasound of respiratory muscles: a promising tool for determining the outcomes of COPD exacerbations.

Background: The respiratory muscles of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit structural and functional changes that can be evaluated and monitored by ultrasonography.

Methods: This single-center, prospective study was conducted in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital over an eight-month period (September 2020-May 2021). Diaphragmatic excursions, end-expiratory thickness, and thickening fractions, as well as right and left intercostal muscle thicknesses, of all adult subjects manifesting COPD exacerbation, were assessed.