Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37382071›Full record

ArticleSarcoidosis, vasculitis, and diffuse lung diseases : official journal of WASOG2023

Assessing feasibility of targeted primary care referrals for patients with clinical suspicion of interstitial lung disease using lung ultrasound: a prospective case finding study. The potential benefits of LUS utilization.

Emmanouil Symvoulakis, Eirini Vasarmidi, Manolis Linardakis, Alexandros Tsiavos, Aikaterini Mantadaki, Georgios Pitsidianakis, Andreas Karelis, Chrysi Petraki, Kadiani Nioti, Stelios Mastronikolis and 2 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sarcoidosis, vasculitis, and diffuse lung diseases : official journal of WASOG, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Emmanouil SymvoulakisClinic of Social and Family Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece . symvouman@yahoo.com.
Eirini VasarmidiDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece. eirvasar@gmail.com.
Manolis LinardakisClinic of Social and Family Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece . linman@med.uoc.gr.
Alexandros TsiavosSchool of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece. alextsiavos13@gmail.com.
Aikaterini MantadakiClinic of Social and Family Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece . aikaterini.mantadaki@gmail.com.
Georgios PitsidianakisDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece. geopit1966@gmail.com.
Andreas KarelisClinic of Social and Family Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece . andkarelis@gmail.com.
Chrysi PetrakiPrivate Primary Care Facilities, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. chrisipetraki@gmail.com.
Kadiani NiotiPrivate Primary Care Facilities, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. niotikand@yahoo.gr.
Stelios MastronikolisSchool of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece. mastronikst@gmail.com.
Nikolaos TzanakisDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece. tzanakisn@uoc.gr.
Antoniou K Eraclion Crete. kantoniou@med.uoc.gr.
University of Crete · GRHellenic Mediterranean University · GRKaneka (United States) · USScience and Technology Park of Crete · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn Primary Health Care (PHC) many interstitial lung disease (ILD) cases may remain at diagnostic delay, due to their challenging presentation and the limited experience of general practitioners (GPs) in recognizing their early symptoms.

objectiveWe have designed a feasibility study to investigate early ILD case-finding competency between PHC and tertiary care.

methodsA cross-sectional prospective case-finding study was launched at two private health care centers of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, during nine months (2021-2022). After clinical assessment by GP, PHC attenders, who agreed to participate in the study, were referred to the Respiratory Medicine Department, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, underwent Lung Ultrasound (LUS) and those with an overall suspicion for ILDs underwent high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. Multiple Poisson regression analysis was performed to explain positive LUS and HRCT decision with selected variables.

resultsOne hundred and nine patients out of 183 were finally included (54.1% females; mean age 61, SD: 8.3 years). Thirty-five (32.1%) were current smokers. Overall, two out of ten cases were assessed to need HRCT due to a moderate or high suspicion (19.3%; 95%CI 12.7, 27.4). However, in those who had dyspnea in relation to counterparts, a significantly higher percentage of patients with LUS findings (57.9% vs. 34.0%, p=0.013) was found, as in those who had crackles (100.0% vs. 44.2%, p= 0.005). Detected possible ILD provisional labelling cases were 6, and most importantly, 5 of those cases were considered highly suspicious for further evaluation based on LUS findings.

conclusionsThis is a feasibility study exploring potentials by combining data of medical history, basic auscultation skills, as crackles detection, and inexpensive and radiation-free imaging technique, such as LUS. Cases of ILD labeling may be hidden within PHC, sometimes, much before any clinical manifestation.

Identifiers

PMID37382071
PMCPMC10494744
OpenAlexW4382502469

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.