Citations 1
Diaphragm dysfunction in severe COVID‐19 as determined by neuromuscular ultrasound
Farr, Ellen , Wolfe, Alexis R. , Deshmukh, Swati , Rydberg, Leslie , Soriano, Rachna, Boon, Andrea J. , Wolfe, Lisa F. , Franz, Colin K. , Franz, Colin K , Walter, James McCauley
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology | July 11, 2021 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 1745-1749
Abstract Many survivors from severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) suffer from persistent dyspnea and fatigue long after resolution of the active infection. In a cohort of 21 consecutive severe post‐COVID‐19 survivors admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, 16 (76%) of them had at least one sonographic abnormality of diaphragm muscle structure or function. This corresponded to a significant reduction in diaphragm muscle contractility as represented by thickening ratio (muscle thickness at maximal inspiration/end‐expiration) for the post‐COVID‐19 compared to non‐COVID‐19 cohorts. These findings may shed new light on neuromuscular respiratory dysfunction as a contributor to prolonged functional impairments after hospitalization for post‐COVID‐19.