APPLICATION OF LUNG ULTRASOUND IN NEWBORN CALVES

• Grant number: 24/18148-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Viviani Gomes
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Araujo Abreu
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Pulmonary ultrasound has been widely used in human neonatology to assess lung clearance and the physiological development of newborn lungs, proving to be a safe, specific, and non-invasive tool. However, in bovine neonates, the use of pulmonary ultrasound is still underexplored. This study aims to characterize and describe static and dynamic pulmonary ultrasound images, as well as evaluate the effects of dystocia and neonatal asphyxia on the processes of lung clearance and compliance. Additionally, it seeks to monitor the early detection of neonatal lung lesions, providing a diagnostic tool that can be employed in neonatal clinical management. A total of 100 neonates will be evaluated, divided into two groups: healthy calves and calves with neonatal asphyxia, according to vitality scores and blood gas analysis. Pulmonary evaluation will be conducted through auscultation and serial pulmonary ultrasound from birth to 28 days of age. The captured images will be analyzed and classified using a scoring system adapted from human neonatology and validated in a pilot study conducted by our team. The expected results may contribute to standardizing the use of ultrasound in bovine neonatology, offering an effective alternative for monitoring respiratory system adaptation as well as for the early diagnosis of respiratory conditions in calves.