E‐cigarette or vaping product use‐associated lung injury (EVALI) characterized by pulmonary ultrasound

• Main Authors: Peter Sacci, Arthur Au, Morgan Hutchinson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020-10-01
• Series: Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12181

Abstract Pulmonary ultrasound is a useful tool in the diagnosis and resuscitation of emergency department (ED) patients with dyspnea. We present the case of a patient who was diagnosed with E‐cigarette or vaping product use‐associated lung injury (EVALI) using pulmonary ultrasound. Many of these cases are diagnosed using x‐ray, computerized tomography, or bronchoscopy and to our knowledge this is the first published case that demonstrates utility of ultrasound in diagnosing EVALI. While more investigation is needed on the use of this technique, the patient in this case was diagnosed with EVALI based on positive history, presence of normal cardiac function, non‐cardiogenic pulmonary edema on ultrasound, and absence of pulmonary infection.