Acute respiratory distress is a leading cause of hospital admissions among African children, requiring prompt and accurate diagnosis for effective management. Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is a non-invasive, low-cost, and highly accurate diagnostic tool for acute pulmonary diseases, offering a superior alternative to chest radiography, which is often unavailable in low-resource settings. Despite its potential, no validated LUS-based diagnostic protocols exist for paediatric care in these settings. The integration of LUS with clinical assessment and pulse oximetry could significantly improve outcomes by enabling precise and timely diagnoses.

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The primary objective of this project is to create an evidence-based paediatric diagnostic algorithm, the ‘Kinshasa LUS Protocol,’ that combines clinical assessment, bedside lung ultrasound (LUS), and pulse oximetry. This protocol aims to enhance the differential diagnosis of key paediatric respiratory conditions, including pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS and/or COVID-19) when LUS is positive. For cases with negative LUS, it will aid in diagnosing other causes of respiratory distress, such as acidotic breathing in malaria, asthma, and bronchiolitis. The second objective is to thoroughly validate the ‘Kinshasa LUS Protocol’ by evaluating its net reclassification index compared to standard clinical assessment, ensuring its accuracy and effectiveness in improving paediatric respiratory diagnostics.