Usefulness of chest ultrasonography in the management of acute respiratory failure in the emergency room

Acute respiratory failure does not always present in conditions that are ideal for immediate diagnosis, which sometimes compromises outcome. Physical examination and bedside radiography are imperfect, resulting in a need for sophisticated test results that delay management. Recently, a decision tree utilizing bedside ultrasonography has been proposed to guide diagnosis of severe dyspnoea. This study examines the relevance of this approach to diagnose acute respiratory failure in the emergency room (ER).