Evaluation of the association between pulmonary and muscular ultrasonographic aspects and functional capacity in hospitalized patients with pneumonia

Abstract

Pneumonia is characterized by acute inflammation of the upper airways and on the lung parenchyma. Its diagnosis is based on imaging exams, such as ultrasound (US). The negative association between body composition and respiratory diseases became more evident over the Covid-19 pandemic. Thereby, this project aims to evaluate if pulmonary findings and anthropometric parameters, both measured by Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), are associated with negative outcomes in pneumonia. In this prospective cohort study, both anthropometric and pulmonary parameters will be evaluated during the first 24h of the patient's admission by POCUS. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data will be collected by evaluating 80 patients. The outcome considered will be functional capacity, measured at each patient discharge. The statistical analysis will be performed by comparison of the groups: altered functional capacity X not altered, altered muscle strength X normal muscle strength, in relation to ultrasonographic, clinical, and demographic variables. Multivariate logistic regression will be used to evaluate the association between these variables and the binary outcomes. The analysis will be adjusted by significant variables described in other research or derived from univariate analysis. The statistical significance will be 5%. The author's hypothesis is that there is a negative correlation between pulmonary findings and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with pneumonia.(AU)