Diagnostic value of blue protocol vs CT scan in critically ill patients with respiratory failure | ||||
| ARCADEs of MEDICINE | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 14 June 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Research | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/arcmed.2025.387083.1128 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Mohamed wanas1; Ahmed elbakry1; Omar Wagdy   2; Mohamed maher1; amr Said1
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| 1AFCM | ||||
| 2Armed forces college of medicine | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Acute respiratory failure is a common emergency in critically ill patients, demanding swift and accurate diagnosis. While computerized tomography (CT) remains a gold standard, it is often impractical in unstable patients. The BLUE protocol, a bedside lung ultrasound approach, offers a faster, safer alternative. This study compares the BLUE protocol versus CT in evaluating respiratory failure. Methods: baseline chest CT scan was conducted for all patients and used as the reference standard, lung ultrasound was performed using the BLUE protocol at standardized thoracic points. Ultrasound findings were then compared to CT results to assess diagnostic accuracy across common causes of respiratory failure Results: In this study, the BLUE protocol demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in identifying major thoracic pathologies when compared to chest CT. For pleural effusion, it showed sensitivities of 97.4% (right) and 97.8% (left), with 100% specificity bilaterally (p < 0.001). In pneumothorax detection, the BLUE protocol achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity on both sides (p < 0.001). For pneumonia, sensitivity was 95% on the right and 93.6% on the left, while specificity remained 100% for both sides (p < 0.001). These results confirm the strong diagnostic performance and statistical significance of the BLUE protocol in evaluating acute respiratory conditions Conclusion: The integration of the BLUE protocol into routine ICU practice facilitates timely and accurate diagnosis, with ultrasound findings showing strong concordance with baseline CT results. This alignment supports its reliability in identifying causes of respiratory failure and enables earlier, more targeted interventions. By reducing diagnostic delays | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Blue protocol; ct chest; respiratory failure | ||||
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Statistics Article View: 42 |
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