A quantitative analysis of extension and distribution of lung injury in COVID-19: a prospective study based on chest computed tomography

Background Typical features differentiate COVID-19-associated lung injury from acute respiratory distress syndrome. The clinical role of chest computed tomography (CT) in describing the progression of COVID-19-associated lung injury remains to be clarified. We investigated in COVID-19 patients the regional distribution of lung injury and the influence of clinical and laboratory features on its progression. Methods This was a prospective study. For each CT, twenty images, evenly spaced along the cranio-caudal axis, were selected. For regional analysis, each CT image was divided into three concentric subpleural regions of interest and four quadrants. Hyper-, normally, hypo- and non-inflated lung compartments were defined. Nonparametric tests were used for hypothesis testing (α = 0.05). Spearman correlation test was used to detect correlations between lung compartments and clinical features. Results Twenty-three out of 111 recruited patients were eligible for further analysis. Five hundred-sixty CT images were analyzed. Lung injury, composed by hypo- and non-inflated areas, was significantly more represented in subpleural than in core lung regions. A secondary, centripetal spread of lung injury was associated with exposure to mechanical ventilation (p < 0.04), longer spontaneous breathing (more than 14 days, p < 0.05) and non-protective tidal volume (p < 0.04). Positive fluid balance (p < 0.01), high plasma D-dimers (p < 0.01) and ferritin (p < 0.04) were associated with increased lung injury. Conclusions In a cohort of COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory failure, a predominant subpleural distribution of lung injury is observed. Prolonged spontaneous breathing and high tidal volumes, both causes of patient self-induced lung injury, are associated to an extensive involvement of more central regions. Positive fluid balance, inflammation and thrombosis are associated with lung injury. Trial registration Study registered a priori the 20th of March, 2020. Clinical Trials ID NCT04316884..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:25

Enthalten in:

Critical care - 25(2021), 1 vom: 04. Aug.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Pellegrini, Mariangela [VerfasserIn]
Larina, Aleksandra [VerfasserIn]
Mourtos, Evangelos [VerfasserIn]
Frithiof, Robert [VerfasserIn]
Lipcsey, Miklos [VerfasserIn]
Hultström, Michael [VerfasserIn]
Segelsjö, Monica [VerfasserIn]
Hansen, Tomas [VerfasserIn]
Perchiazzi, Gaetano [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext [kostenfrei]

BKL:

44.00 / Medizin: Allgemeines / Medizin: Allgemeines

Themen:

ARDS
Acute respiratory distress syndrome
COVID-19
Computed tomography
Mechanical ventilation
SARS-CoV2

Anmerkungen:

© The Author(s) 2021

doi:

10.1186/s13054-021-03685-4

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

OLC2127045068