In addition to the cardiac windows, lung ultrasound (LUS) can also provide valuable indirect information about LV performance. LUS is highly sensitive to detect early or subtle increases in left ventricular end diastolic filling pressures (LVEDP) [24].

In the setting of LV systolic dysfunction or congestive heart failure, elevated LVEDP leads to pulmonary congestion, which manifests on LUS as the progressive appearance of B-lines. B-lines occur as the edema or excess extravascular lung water interact with air-filled alveoli to create a reverberation artifact. The distribution and severity of B-lines correlate with the degree of pulmonary interstitial edema or fluid overload and, by extension, can reflect deterioration in LVfx.

Integrating LUS findings with cardiac PoCUS can provide a more comprehensive assessment of LVfx.

 

For details on performing and interpreting LUS in the context of heart failure and pulmonary congestion, please refer to the dedicated KidSONO Interstitial Disease module