Implementation of Lung Ultrasound in Low-to-Middle Income Countries: a
new challenge global health?
- Danilo Buonsenso
, - Cristina De Rose
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Cristina De Rose
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Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Sede di Roma
Author ProfileAbstract
Pneumonia remains the leading cause of death globally in children under
the age of five. The poorest children are the ones most at risk of
dying. In the recent years, Lung Ultrasound has been widely documented
as a safe and easy tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of pneumonia
and several other respiratory infections and diseases. During the
pandemic, it played a primary role to achieve early suspicion and
prediction of severe COVID-19, reducing the risk of exposure of
healthcare workers to positive patients. However, innovations that can
improve diagnosis and treatment allocation, saving hundreds of thousands
of lives each year, are not reaching those who need them most. In this
paper, we discuss advantages and limits of different tools for the
diagnosis of pneumonia in low-to-middle income countries, highlighting
potential benefits of a wider access to lung ultrasound in these
settings and barriers to its implementation, calling international
organizations to ensure the indiscriminate access, quality and
sustainability of the provision of ultrasound services in every setting.