What does this research mean for the field?

Lung ultrasound demonstrates high sensitivity and moderate specificity for diagnosing pneumonia in adult intensive care unit patients when compared to standard of care. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasound compared to standard care for identifying pneumonia in adult intensive care unit patients.

September 8, 2026CureusOpen Access

Diagnostic Accuracy of Lung Ultrasound for Pneumonia in Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Authors

KMKelechi Meremikwu SLSean LeeUniversity of Southern California BTBrandon TangToronto Public Health

Discussion

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates high sensitivity and moderate specificity of lung ultrasound for pneumonia in critically ill adults, highlighting its utility at the bedside.

Key Points

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasound compared to standard care for identifying pneumonia in adult intensive care unit patients.
Systematic review and meta-analysis searching MEDLINE, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar from inception through May 2026.
Included 6 studies evaluating 518 adult intensive care unit patients (mean age 63.9 years, 71.2% male) with suspected community-acquired, hospital-acquired, or ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Bedside lung ultrasound findings were compared against standard-of-care criteria, including chest radiography, chest computed tomography, biomarkers, and clinical assessments.
Bedside lung ultrasound yielded a pooled sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88 to 0.98, p < 0.01) with moderate heterogeneity (I² = 32.68%).
Summary specificity was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60 to 0.80, p < 0.01) with low-to-moderate heterogeneity (I² = 13.17%).
Of 518 enrolled patients, 275 received a confirmed pneumonia diagnosis using multimodal standard-of-care diagnostics.

Cite This Study

Meremikwu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9fd77658e84d0ff5b46190 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.115858

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates high sensitivity and moderate specificity of lung ultrasound for pneumonia in critically ill adults, highlighting its utility at the bedside.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Lung Ultrasound for Pneumonia in Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Diagnostic Accuracy of Lung Ultrasound for Pneumonia in Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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