Study design and population
This national multicenterprospective study was conducted between 15st November 2020 and 30st June 2021 in 8italian hospitals (Bambino GesùChildren Hospital of Rome, A. Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation of Rome, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital of Naples, Sant’Orsola Hospital of Bologna, San Jacopo Hospital of Pistoia,Salesi Children’s Hospital of Ancona,San Marco Hospital of Catania,City of Health and Science of Turin). After the initial approval by theethics committee of the Bambino Gesù Children Hospital (2293_OPBG_2020), all participating sites obtained approval from their local ethics committee.Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the children’ legal guardian/next of kin.
We included children with more than 1 month and less than 18 years, withdiagnosis of SARS-CoV2 infection made using molecular o antigenic tests on a nasopharyngeal swab. In all enrolled patients a lung ultrasound was performedwithin 6 hours from the initial medical evaluation. Were excluded patients outside our age range, who refused to participate, severe conditions requiring immediate life-saving procedures, cardiac abnormalities, previous major thoracic surgery, congenital pulmonary malformations, serious malformations of the rib cage, cystic fibrosis, neuromuscular diseases or bronchopulmonary dysplasia.