Table 3.

Comparison between ultrasonographic findings in ARDS and cardiogenic pulmonary edema.

Condition	Thoracic Ultrasound	Cardiac Ultrasound
ARDS	Bilateral B pattern	No change in ventricular function vs. previous examination
	Non-uniform distribution
	Pleural line abnormalities	No inferior vena cava dilation (diameter < 23 mm)
	Reduced in lung sliding	E/e’ ≤ 8
	C pattern	–
Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema	Bilateral B pattern	New or worsening left ventricular disfunction
	Uniform distribution	Inferior vena cava dilation (≥23 mm)
	Pleural effusion	E/e’ ≥ 14
	Left-sided predominance	–

E/e’ represents the ratio between the peak early diastolic mitral velocity between the tips of mitral leaflets (E wave) and the spectral tissue Doppler-derived peak early diastolic velocity at mitral annulus (E’ wave), thus yielding an accurate estimate of lesft ventricular diastolic function.