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Updated: Oct 10, 2025
Bedside Ultrasound for Guiding Fluid Removal in Patients with Pulmonary Edema: The Reverse-FALLS Protocol
Published on: July 28, 2018
Lung Ultrasound: A "Biomarker" for Fluid Overload?
Jonathan Suarez1, Vandana Dua Niyyar2
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Abstract:
Fluid overload is associated with poor outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury as well as end-stage kidney disease. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been used in many different settings and specialties including the emergency department, intensive care unit, trauma, cardiology, and nephrology. Although LUS has been a valuable tool in assessing pulmonary congestion, LUS findings may not always be pathognomonic for pulmonary congestion. Furthermore, the feasibility of doing an extensive LUS examination as has been done in research studies may be hard to implement within the clinical setting. This review will go over the use of LUS to evaluate for fluid overload, compare LUS with other markers of fluid overload, review limitations of LUS, and suggest potential future directions in the use of LUS in nephrology.
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