Article Summary- Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia

Pneumonia has been considered a fatal condition for the elderly and individuals with weakened immune systems. The article on the use of sonography in the detection of pneumonia on children highlights how fatal the condition can be for children as well (Shah, Tunik, & Tsung, 2013). The article provides some evidence for the use of point of care ultrasonography in the accurate diagnosis of pneumonia in children. A study was conducted on children in emergency departments who were suspected of having pneumonia. These children were given a chest x-ray through the use of pint of care ultrasonography.

The study found that the use of these methods of diagnosis were highly effective in diagnosing pneumonia. The use of ultrasonography is especially effective in younger children who have a thinner chest and smaller lung size. The point of care method also does not expose children to large amount of radiation that other methods of detection may. While the results demonstrated the value of the use of this method of detection, the article did indicate limitations of the study. One of these limitations was the fact that the physicians were unlikely to use the ultrasonography technique as they were used to their own methods of detection. This considerably limited the study and its results.

The article briefly highlighted the fact that many children were not being diagnosed with pneumonia as many countries do not have access to the imaging machines that would detect the condition. Through the study the researchers can advocate for increased education about early detection in the prevention of deaths from pneumonia in children all over the world. The point of care technique can also be beneficial to other nations that may use larger machines that are designed for adults in critical care. The study presented in the article adds to the literature on detection of pneumonia in children as well as providing increased education on the need to adapt detection methods for children.

Reference

Shah, V. P.,  Tunik, M. G., & Tsung, J. (2013). Prospective evaluation of point-of-care ultrasonography for the diagnosis of pneumonia in children and young adults. American Medical Association, 167(2), 119-125.