Lung ultrasound in pneumonia: a guide for effective implementation

In patients with pneumonia, lung ultrasound is a useful diagnostic and monitoring tool and has been proven to be superior to physical examination and chest X-ray in terms of feasibility and diagnostic accuracy. Guidelines do not address lung ultrasound as part of the diagnostic workup or as monitoring tool which is surprising. This article provides a succinct overview on the currently available evidence on efficacy and utility of lung ultrasound in patients with a clinical suspicion of pneumonia. Various clinical settings are considered, in addition to limitations, pitfalls and advanced techniques. The aim of this paper is to equip the clinician with the necessary knowledge to maximize lung ultrasound in pneumonia as effective diagnostic and monitoring tool.