Breathing muscle scan could help get patients off ventilators faster

This study aimed to see if a simple, bedside ultrasound scan of the diaphragm—the main breathing muscle—could help doctors predict which patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are ready to breathe on their own after being on a ventilator. Researchers scanned 60 patients who were about to try coming off the ventilator and measured their diaphragm's movement and thickness. They then checked if these ultrasound measurements could tell which patients would successfully stay off the ventilator for 48 hours.