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Improving bedside ventilation monitoring

A portable ultrasound scanner to monitor the condition of patients in intensive care and make work easier for caregivers

Professors Jean-Jacques Rouby and Jean-Michel Constantin from the Department of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital are keen to make monitoring of the respiratory status of patients severely affected by SARS- CoV-2 easier. They have launched a clinical trial to compare the use of a portable ultrasound scanner at the patient's bedside with the conventional protocol.

Use of a portable ultrasound scanner

Faced with an influx of patients, the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital has opened up new intensive care beds for SARS-CoV-2 patients. These rooms are cramped and not very compatible with the use of traditional ultrasound scanners, which are bulky and difficult to clean, or with the practice of chest X-rays at the patient's bedside.

Moreover, transporting patients is a major task and brings with it a high risk of contamination. Using a portable ultrasound scanner could be the solution for improving bedside ventilation monitoring and making the work of caregivers easier.

Professors Jean-Jacques Rouby and Jean-Michel Constantin are conducting a clinical study on 160 patients to demonstrate that using portable ultrasound scanners shortens the ventilation period of severely affected patients compared to a standard clinical assessment by chest X-ray and conventional chest ultrasound. 

Use of this kind of ultrasound scanner would be a first in the intensive care environment in France and could be rolled out elsewhere following the study.

 

Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital


How the Air Liquide Foundation is participating

The Air Liquide Foundation is enabling the acquisition of 5 ultra-portable scanners to monitor patient respiratory status and make the work of staff easier.