Table 1.

Summary of retrieved evidence (alphabetical order by first author)

Author [reference]	Article type	Peer reviewed	Number of patients	Clinical setting	Patient population	Scanning protocol	Transducer type	Sonographic elements/observations	Recommendations
Buonsenso et al. 7	Letter	Yes	Not reported	Hospital	Children	Not reported	Linear wireless	Recommendations for lung ultrasound to reduce SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission.	Avoid the use of stethoscopes, chest radiographs and CT to reduce cross‐infection rates.
Buonsenso et al. 8	Case report	Yes	1	Emergency Department	Adult	12 areas	ConvexWireless	Bilateral involvement; irregular pleura; confluent B‐lines; small consolidations and spared areas.	Use of lung ultrasound to minimise number of clinicians that patient is exposed to and triage high/low‐risk patients. A portable device is easier to clean.
Corradi et al. 9	Letter	Yes	Not applicable	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Opinion on quantification of B‐lines relevant to patients with COVID‐19.	Visual estimation of B‐line number and frequency has high inter‐ and intra‐observer variability.
Huang et al. 1	Case series	No	20	Emergency Department	Adults	12 areas	Convex or linear	Bilateral involvement; posterior and inferior involvement; coalescent B‐lines; irregular pleura; small consolidations; air bronchograms; and small pleural effusions.	Lung characteristics of patients with COVID‐19 are ideal to image with ultrasound.
Moro et al. 10	Clinical recommendation	Yes	Not reported	Not reported	Pregnant women	Not reported	Convex or linear	Thickened/irregular pleura; spared areas; small consolidations; lobar consolidations; and air bronchograms.	Tips include: set focus on pleural line; to view the pleura, reduce the gain; scan in sitting or side lying to avoid prone lying.
Peng et al. 11	Letter	Yes	Not reported	Critical care	Critically unwell adults	12 areas	Not reported	Thickened/irregular pleura; variety of B‐line patterns; non‐translobar and translobar consolidation; small consolidations; air bronchograms; and pleural effusions (rare).	Use of lung ultrasound to track disease evolution; monitor lung recruitment; response to prone position; management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; and guide weaning and liberation from mechanical ventilation.
Poggiali et al. 12	Letter	Yes	12	Emergency Department	Adults	Not reported	Not reported	Bilateral involvement; B‐lines; spared areas; and small consolidations, mainly posteriorly.	Recommends the use of lung ultrasound in the Emergency Department for patients with COVID‐19.
Soldati et al. 13	Letter	Yes	Not reported	Emergency Department, wards, and critical care	Not reported	16 areas	Convex or linear	Bilateral involvement, confluent B‐lines; multiple areas of B‐lines; small consolidations; large consolidation in dependent areas; and air bronchograms.	Use of lung ultrasound to triage at home and pre‐hospital; diagnose COVID‐19; prognostic stratification; track evolution towards consolidation; guide mechanical ventilation and weaning; and monitor the effects of therapeutic interventions.
Soldati et al. 14	Clinical recommendation	Yes	Not reported	Wards and critical care	Adults	14 areas	Convex or linear	An expert consensus proposal for lung ultrasound scanning protocol in patients with COVID‐19.	Tips include: use a hand‐held device and set the focus on the pleural line.
Thomas et al. 15	Case report	Yes	1	Ward and critical care	Adult	Not reported	Convex	Multifocal B‐lines; pleural thickening; and small consolidations.	Lung ultrasound may be useful to assess patients with COVID‐19.
Vetrugno et al. 16	Clinical recommendation	Yes	Not reported	Critical care	Adults	12 areaLUS score	Convex	Confluent B‐lines; pleural thickening/disruption; and small consolidations.	Use of lung ultrasound to diagnose and monitor; monitor patient trajectory; and reduce the need for radiographic imaging.