ArticleERJ open research2026
Diaphragm ultrasound and surface electromyography as predictors of clinical deterioration in acute exacerbations of COPD: a prospective observational study.
Article in ERJ open research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Ultrasonographic diaphragmatic assessment as an emergency mortality predictor in acute exacerbation of COPD.International journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Acute exacerbations of COPD without respiratory acidosis lack reliable and practical physiological markers to monitor treatment response or predict clinical deterioration. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 51 hospitalised acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) patients without respiratory acidosis underwent diaphragm ultrasound and surface electromyography within 48 h of admission and at discharge. Associations between study parameters and dyspnoea (Borg scores and modified Medical Research Council scales) were assessed, and their predictive value for clinical outcomes (progression to noninvasive ventilation or in-hospital death, and 30-day readmission). Results: An increase in diaphragm excursion during maximal inspiration associated weakly, yet significantly, with improvements in Borg scores (r Conclusion: Bedside ultrasound and sEMG provide potential physiological markers associated with clinical deterioration in non-acidotic AECOPD patients. These exploratory findings suggest a role in identifying at-risk patients and guiding personalised care. Validation in larger cohorts with more events is needed. Furthermore, we found that short-term readmission risk may be predicted by a simple bedside question: "How breathless do you feel right now?"
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.