ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02949141Updated Sep 19, 2017Results posted

Diagnostic Use of Lung Ultrasound for Suspected Pneumonia in Nepal

An interventional study of Lung Ultrasound and Chest X-ray in Pneumonia, sponsored by Patan Academy of Health Sciences. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-09-19.

Sponsored by Patan Academy of Health Sciences · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
62
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is designed to evaluate the use of lung ultrasound compared to chest x-ray to diagnose pneumonia in Nepal. Given the ease, portability, and relative ease of teaching ultrasound, this would be potential technology available for many clinicians throughout Nepal to use for adult and pediatric patients presenting with suspected pneumonia. This would be especially useful in remote areas where clinicians have limited access to x-rays. Despite its utility, use of ultrasound to diagnose pneumonia in resource-limited settings like Nepal has not yet been studied. Therefore, this study is designed as a prospective, clinical diagnostic study to evaluate patients presenting with suspected pneumonia using diagnostic imaging of beside ultrasound compared with chest x-ray using computed tomography as the gold standard for diagnosis of pneumonia.

Read the detailed description

Study Design: A prospective, convenience sample of participants presenting with suspected pneumonia when trained ultrasound investigator is present in the Patan Hospital Emergency Department will be performed in Patan, Nepal. This study will be done in partnership with Patan Hospital Emergency Department and with the approval of Nepal Health Research Council and Patan Hospital's ethical review committee.

Study Setting: Located in the Kathmandu valley, Patan Hospital is a large urban hospital with 35-bed Emergency Department that sees approximately 32,000 patients per year.

Study Protocol:

Prior to the enrolling patients, investigators in the Emergency Department will save lung ultrasound exams and interpret the exams. These exams will then be independently reviewed by an ultrasonographer to ensure adequate skill in lung ultrasonography. A kappa analysis of these scans will be performed. If kappa \<0.6, we will review lung ultrasound with these investigators and repeat above evaluation until kappa of 0.6 is achieved.

For participants meeting inclusion criteria, consent will be obtained from the participant. Consent will include explanation of use of bedside ultrasound and chest CT scan for diagnosis of their condition. This consent will also include explanation of risks and benefits in Nepali. These examinations will be provided free of charge to the participant.

The investigator will record patient demographics, symptoms, lung exam findings, and pre-test probability of pneumonia (low, intermediate, high) on the data form.

After initial clinical evaluation, a bedside lung ultrasound will be performed. A Sonosite M Turbo (Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc.) ultrasound machine will be used. The ultrasound examination will include ten views, two anterior views, two lateral views (one including the costophrenic angle), and one posterior view on both chest walls. The investigator will then record findings and diagnosis on the data entry form along with their post-test probability of pneumonia (low, intermediate, high).

Participants will get a chest x-ray as a part of the standard evaluation. These readings will be recorded on the data sheet. Participants will then undergo a chest computed tomography (CT), as the diagnostic standard to evaluate for pneumonia. The chest x-ray and chest CT will be read by a radiologist. The radiologist will be blinded to the results of the previous studies. The reading and diagnosis according to CT will be recorded on the data form.

Statistical Analysis

The performance of ultrasound for diagnosis of pneumonia will be expressed as sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. Since the sensitivity of ultrasound is estimated around 90%, in order to detect a 20% difference based on a CXR sensitivity of 70%, 62 patients will be needed. McNemar's test will be used to evaluate any statistical difference in sensitivity between CXR and US.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pneumonia

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03

In context

Pneumonia

1,564 studies on the registry are indexed under Pneumonia; 265 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 62 is below the median of 129 across 975 interventional studies indexed under Pneumonia.

Browse Pneumonia studies →

Lead sponsor

Patan Academy of Health Sciences is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients presenting to the Emergency Department at Patan Hospital age 18 or older with suspected signs of pneumonia with at least three of the following: temperature greater than 38 or history of fever, cough, dyspnea, heart rate higher than 100 beats per minute, or oxygen saturation lower than 92%.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children will be excluded from the study. Also, ultrasound studies completed by physicians not trained in lung ultrasound will not be included.
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Diagnostic
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
62 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Ultrasound

    All patients will initially get an ultrasound (interpreted by emergency department physician) followed by chest x-ray (read by independent radiologist) and computed tomography (read by radiologist)

    Device: Lung Ultrasound · Device: Chest X-ray · Device: Chest Computed Tomography (CT)

Interventions

  • DeviceLung Ultrasound

    All patients will receive lung ultrasound, chest x-ray and computed tomography

  • DeviceChest X-ray

    All patients will receive chest x-ray as per usual care for evaluation for pneumonia

  • DeviceChest Computed Tomography (CT)

    All enrolled patients will receive a CT scan as the gold standard for diagnosing pneumonia

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Diagnosis of Pneumonia

    Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound compared to chest x-ray for the diagnosis of pneumonia using Chest CT as the gold standard for diagnosis.

    Time frame: 9 months

07

Results

Posted Jul 24, 2017

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneAll Participants
Started62
Completed62
Not completed0

Outcome measures

PrimaryDiagnosis of Pneumonia

Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound compared to chest x-ray for the diagnosis of pneumonia using Chest CT as the gold standard for diagnosis.

Time frame:
9 months
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Diagnosis of Pneumonia
ParticipantsUltrasoundChest X-Ray
US (or CXR) and CT positive pneumonia4032
US (or CXR) negative, CT positive412
US (or CXR) positive, CT negative79
US (or CXR) negative, CT negative119

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse event data were collected during hospital stay.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Ultrasound0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)
Chest X-ray0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)
Chest Ct0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)0/62 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Ultrasound
<=18 years0
Between 18 and 65 years47
>=65 years15
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Ultrasound
Mean59.2 ± 14.5
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Ultrasound
Female33
Male29
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)Ultrasound
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Ultrasound
Nepal62
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Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

09

References and documents

Publications

  • Cortellaro F, Colombo S, Coen D, Duca PG. Lung ultrasound is an accurate diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the emergency department. Emerg Med J. 2012 Jan;29(1):19-23. doi: 10.1136/emj.2010.101584. Epub 2010 Oct 28. PubMed 21030550 ↗
  • Brenner DJ, Hall EJ. Computed tomography--an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med. 2007 Nov 29;357(22):2277-84. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra072149. No abstract available. PubMed 18046031 ↗
  • Bourcier JE, Paquet J, Seinger M, Gallard E, Redonnet JP, Cheddadi F, Garnier D, Bourgeois JM, Geeraerts T. Performance comparison of lung ultrasound and chest x-ray for the diagnosis of pneumonia in the ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2014 Feb;32(2):115-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.10.003. Epub 2013 Oct 9. PubMed 24184011 ↗
  • Hagaman JT, Rouan GW, Shipley RT, Panos RJ. Admission chest radiograph lacks sensitivity in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. Am J Med Sci. 2009 Apr;337(4):236-40. doi: 10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31818ad805. PubMed 19365166 ↗
  • Liu XL, Lian R, Tao YK, Gu CD, Zhang GQ. Lung ultrasonography: an effective way to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia. Emerg Med J. 2015 Jun;32(6):433-8. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2013-203039. Epub 2014 Aug 20. PubMed 25142033 ↗
  • Reissig A, Copetti R, Mathis G, Mempel C, Schuler A, Zechner P, Aliberti S, Neumann R, Kroegel C, Hoyer H. Lung ultrasound in the diagnosis and follow-up of community-acquired pneumonia: a prospective, multicenter, diagnostic accuracy study. Chest. 2012 Oct;142(4):965-972. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-0364. PubMed 22700780 ↗
  • Reissig A, Gramegna A, Aliberti S. The role of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis and follow-up of community-acquired pneumonia. Eur J Intern Med. 2012 Jul;23(5):391-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2012.01.003. Epub 2012 Feb 21. PubMed 22726366 ↗
  • Syrjala H, Broas M, Suramo I, Ojala A, Lahde S. High-resolution computed tomography for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. Clin Infect Dis. 1998 Aug;27(2):358-63. doi: 10.1086/514675. PubMed 9709887 ↗
  • Amatya Y, Rupp J, Russell FM, Saunders J, Bales B, House DR. Diagnostic use of lung ultrasound compared to chest radiograph for suspected pneumonia in a resource-limited setting. Int J Emerg Med. 2018 Mar 12;11(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s12245-018-0170-2. PubMed 29527652 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Nov 2016, a primary completion of Apr 2017 and a completion of May 2017. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

Results were first posted in Jul 2017, 3 months after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 25, 2016
First posted
Oct 31, 2016
Start
Nov 2016
Primary completionActual
Apr 2017
CompletionActual
May 1, 2017
Results first posted
Jul 24, 2017
Last update
Sep 19, 2017
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 19, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02949141
Lead sponsor
Patan Academy of Health Sciences
Collaborators
Vanderbilt University, Indiana University School of Medicine
Responsible party
Darlene Rose House (Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Patan Academy of Health Sciences) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 31, 2016
Start date
Nov 2016
Primary completion
Apr 2017
Completion
May 1, 2017
Results posted
Jul 24, 2017
Last update
Sep 19, 2017

Study contacts

Bharat Yadav, MD
study chair · Chair of Department of Emergency Medicine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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