Lung Ultrasounds Detect Congestion, Predict Premature Death Risk in Dialysis Patients.

The use of ultrasonography to measure lung congestion in 392 dialysis patients revealed very severe congestion in 14% of patients and moderate-to-severe congestion in 45% of patients in a recent JASNstudy. Among those with moderate-to-severe lung congestion, 71% were asymptomatic. Patients with very severe congestion had a 4.2-fold increased risk of dying and a 3.2-fold increased risk of experiencing heart attacks or other cardiac events over a 2-year period. Asymptomatic lung congestion detected by lung ultrasonography was a better predictor of patients' risk of dying prematurely or experiencing cardiac events than symptoms of heart failure.