Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jun;97(22):e10968.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000010968.

Diaphragmatic ultrasonography for predicting ventilator weaning: A meta-analysis

Affiliations
Review

Diaphragmatic ultrasonography for predicting ventilator weaning: A meta-analysis

Caifeng Li et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Weaning failure is common in mechanically ventilated patients. Whether ultrasound can predict weaning outcome remains controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of diaphragmatic ultrasonography for predicting reintubation within 48 hours of extubation.

Methods: Literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to identify all the relevant papers, published in English up to July 16, 2017. Eligible studies were included if data were in adequate details to rebuild 2 × 2 contingency tables. Methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) in Review Manager 5.3. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve were pooled using the fixed or random effects model, meanwhile, the heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran Q test and I statistics in Meta-DiSc 1.4. Publication bias was assessed using Deeks funnel plot in Stata 12.0.

Results: Thirteen studies with 742 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivities for diaphragm excursion (DE) and diaphragm thickness fraction (DTF) were 0.786 and 0.893, and the pooled specificities were 0.711 and 0.796, respectively. The area under curve (AUC) for DE and DTF were 0.8590 and 0.8381. The DORs for DE and DTF were 10.623 and 32.521. No publication bias was observed among these studies.

Conclusions: Diaphragmatic ultrasonography is a promising tool for predicting reintubation within 48 hours of extubation. However, due to heterogeneities among the included studies, large-scale studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart of literature search and selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The methodological quality of included studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The diagnostic performance of DE and DTF on weaning outcome: (A) sensitivity, (B) specificity, (C) PLR, (D) NLR, (E) DOR. CI = confidence interval, DE = diaphragm excursion, DOR = diagnostic odds ratio, DTF = diaphragm thickness fraction, NLR = negative likelihood ratio, PLR = positive likelihood ratio.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Summary receiver operating characteristic curves of DE and DTF on weaning outcome. DE = diaphragm excursion, DTF = diaphragm thickness fraction, SROC = summary receiver operating characteristic.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Fagan nomograms of DE and DTF on weaning outcome. DE = diaphragm excursion, DTF = diaphragm thickness fraction, LR = likelihood ratio.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Deeks funnel plots for publication bias.

References

    1. Flevari A, Lignos M, Konstantonis D, et al. Diaphragmatic ultrasonography as an adjunct predictor tool of weaning success in patients with difficult and prolonged weaning. Minerva Anestesiol 2016;82:1149–57. - PubMed
    1. Epstein SK. Extubation. Respir Care 2002;47:483–92. - PubMed
    1. Esteban A, Anzueto A, Frutos F, et al. Characteristics and outcomes in adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a 28-day international study. JAMA 2002;287:345–55. - PubMed
    1. Funk G, Anders S, Breyer M, et al. Incidence and outcome of weaning from mechanical ventilation according to new categories. Eur Respir J 2010;35:88–94. - PubMed
    1. Hudson MB, Smuder AJ, Nelson WB, et al. Both high level pressure support ventilation and controlled mechanical ventilation induce diaphragm dysfunction and atrophy. Crit Care Med 2012;40:1254–60. - PMC - PubMed