The correlation between lung ultrasound score and neonatal critical illness score and its clinical predictive value

Abstract

Objective To explore whether the lung ultrasound(LUS) score can be used to assess and predict the criticality of neonates with pulmonary disease at an early stage. Methods The newborns born in the obstetrics department of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from April to October 2018 were transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit due to respiratory distress. The children underwent LUS examination and scoring at 2 hours after birth. The correlation analysis were performed between LUS score and neonatal critical illness score (NCIS ), NCIS+ single index, respectively. And the ROC curve was used to analyze the value of LUS score in predicting neonatal criticality. Results ①The LUS score of non-critical neonates was significantly lower than that of critically ill newborns, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.005); LUS score was an independent risk factor for critical neonates (OR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.059-2.765, P=0.028). ②The correlation coefficient between LUS score and NCIS was -0.48 (P=0.002). The correlation coefficient between the LUS score and the NCIS+ single index was -0.44 (P=0.005). ③The area under the ROC curve of LUS score predicting neonatal criticality was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.725-0.965, P<0.000 1), the optimal diagnostic threshold was 6 points with sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 100%. Conclusions The LUS score at a postnatal age of 2 hours after birth can early assess and predict the criticality of neonates with pulmonary disease. And the LUS score greater than 6 has the highest diagnostic value. Key words: Lung ultrasound score; Neonatal critical illness score; Correlation