Feasibility Study of Novice-Performed Lung Ultrasound for Pneumothorax Detection After Cardiac Surgery

Launched by JACOBO MORENO GARIJO · Jun 4, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring whether medical trainees can effectively use lung ultrasound to detect a condition called pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung, in patients who have recently undergone heart surgery. The study will involve adults who are 18 years or older and are scheduled to have their chest tubes removed in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). However, those with certain lung conditions or other specific health issues may not be eligible to participate.

During the study, once the chest tubes are taken out, a trained medical trainee will use a small ultrasound device to check the patient's lungs right at their bedside. Patients will also receive a chest X-ray, which is a standard procedure, and the results from both tests will be compared. The main goal is to see if trainees can learn to use the ultrasound safely and accurately, which could help inform future larger studies on this technique.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 18 years or older
• • Undergoing cardiac surgery
• • Scheduled for chest and/or mediastinal chest tube removal in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• * Severe chronic lung disease that may impair lung ultrasound interpretation, including:
• • Subcutaneous emphysema
• • COPD or emphysema with FEV₁ \< 50% predicted
• • Interstitial lung disease with FEV₁ \< 75% predicted
• • Documented history of pneumothorax prior to chest tube removal requiring intervention
• • Mechanical ventilation at the time of eligibility screening
• • Inability to undergo lung ultrasound or chest X-ray (e.g., due to hemodynamic instability or positioning limitations)