Diaphragm dysfunction in severe COVID-19 as determined by neuromuscular ultrasound

Ellen Farr, Alexis R. Wolfe, Swati Deshmukh, Leslie Rydberg, Rachna Soriano, James M. Walter, Andrea J. Boon, Lisa F. Wolfe, Colin K. Franz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1745-1749
Number of pages5
JournalAnnals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
Volume8
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Clinical Neurology

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