The value of chest ultrasound along with inflammatory biomarkers in the management of pneumonia in a non-compliant pregnant woman

Abstract

During pregnancy, one of the possible complications is pneumonia. Early recognition as well as a timely and appropriate therapy is very important to prevent cardio-respiratory failure which may promote premature birth, low birth weight and miscarriage. In pregnancy, a chest X-ray is not contraindicated but may create a considerable state of maternal anxiety. We report a case of pneumonia in a pregnant woman managed with chest ultrasound and laboratory examinations because the patient refused a chest x-ray for fear of a possible fetal harm. This case is paradigmatic of an unusual but effective approach to pneumonia in pregnancy.

Keywords::

• Chest ultrasound
• pneumonia
• pregnancy
• plasmatic procalcitonin

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.