TY - JOUR
T1 - Lung “Comet Tails” in Healthy Individuals
T2 - Accumulation or Clearance of Extravascular Lung Water?
AU - Parks, Jordan K.
AU - Wheatley-Guy, Courtney M.
AU - Stewart, Glenn M.
AU - Fermoyle, Caitlin C.
AU - Taylor, Bryan J.
AU - Schwartz, Jesse
AU - Ziegler, Briana
AU - Johnson, Kay
AU - Gavet, Alice
AU - Chabridon, Loïc
AU - Robach, Paul
AU - Johnson, Bruce D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - Parks, Jordan K, Courtney M. Wheatley-Guy, Glenn M. Stewart, Caitlin C. Fermoyle, Bryan J. Taylor, Jesse Schwartz, Briana Ziegler, Kay Johnson, Alice Gavet, Loïc Chabridon, Paul Robach, and Bruce D. Johnson. Lung “Comet Tails” in healthy individuals: accumulation or clearance of extravascular lung water? High Alt Med Biol. 24:230–233, 2023—Ultrasound lung comet tails (or B-lines) tend to be limited in number (<5) or absent under ultrasound examination, and the appearance of diffuse B-lines with lung sliding has been suggested to identify pulmonary edema. Clinical evaluation of B-lines has been utilized as a bedside test to assess pulmonary congestion in patients with heart failure. Exposure to altitude or prolonged exercise can alter fluid regulation and can lead to pulmonary congestion or edema. As such, B-lines have been utilized in the field to monitor for pathological lung fluid accumulation. However, ultrasound lung comet lines might not be as reliable for identifying extravascular lung water (EVLW) as previously thought in healthy individuals exercising at altitude where an increase in the number of ultrasound lung comets would reflect fluid buildup in the interstitial space of the alveoli and pulmonary capillaries. This report will focus on reviewing the literature and our data from a group of ultraendurance runners that completed the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc race that demonstrates that lung comet tails may not always be evidence of pathological fluid accumulation in healthy individuals and as such should be used to assess EVLW in concert with other diagnostic testing.
AB - Parks, Jordan K, Courtney M. Wheatley-Guy, Glenn M. Stewart, Caitlin C. Fermoyle, Bryan J. Taylor, Jesse Schwartz, Briana Ziegler, Kay Johnson, Alice Gavet, Loïc Chabridon, Paul Robach, and Bruce D. Johnson. Lung “Comet Tails” in healthy individuals: accumulation or clearance of extravascular lung water? High Alt Med Biol. 24:230–233, 2023—Ultrasound lung comet tails (or B-lines) tend to be limited in number (<5) or absent under ultrasound examination, and the appearance of diffuse B-lines with lung sliding has been suggested to identify pulmonary edema. Clinical evaluation of B-lines has been utilized as a bedside test to assess pulmonary congestion in patients with heart failure. Exposure to altitude or prolonged exercise can alter fluid regulation and can lead to pulmonary congestion or edema. As such, B-lines have been utilized in the field to monitor for pathological lung fluid accumulation. However, ultrasound lung comet lines might not be as reliable for identifying extravascular lung water (EVLW) as previously thought in healthy individuals exercising at altitude where an increase in the number of ultrasound lung comets would reflect fluid buildup in the interstitial space of the alveoli and pulmonary capillaries. This report will focus on reviewing the literature and our data from a group of ultraendurance runners that completed the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc race that demonstrates that lung comet tails may not always be evidence of pathological fluid accumulation in healthy individuals and as such should be used to assess EVLW in concert with other diagnostic testing.
KW - comet tail
KW - diffusing capacity
KW - exercise
KW - extravascular lung water
KW - pulmonary capillary blood volume
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U2 - 10.1089/ham.2022.0114
DO - 10.1089/ham.2022.0114
M3 - Article
C2 - 37722011
AN - SCOPUS:85171696596
SN - 1527-0297
VL - 24
SP - 230
EP - 233
JO - High Altitude Medicine and Biology
JF - High Altitude Medicine and Biology
IS - 3
ER -