Diaphragm muscle parameters as a predictive tool for weaning critically ill patients from mechanical ventilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

Diaphragmatic ultrasound, valued for its portability and safety, assesses both structural and functional aspects of the diaphragm. While some studies support its predictive value, others conflict. This meta-analysis aims to clarify diaphragmatic ultrasound's role in predicting successful liberation from mechanical ventilation in intensive care settings. A systematic search was performed on Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed up to March, 2024. The search strategy included a combination of relevant medical subject heading (MeSH) terms and relevant keywords. We defined our eligibility criteria based on the PICO framework. Two authors performed the data extraction using a standardized sheet. The pooled mean difference was calculated using random effects model and Hedges’ g along with SD estimation. R and RStudio were used for the statistical analysis and creating forest and funnel plots. The pooled mean difference was 7.25 (95% CI: 4.20, 10.21) for DE among the two groups. We found a statistically significant difference among the two groups indicating that those with successful weaning from intubation had higher means of DE compared to those with failed weaning attempt (p-value<0.01). The mean difference of DTF was also higher among those with successful weaning from intubation compared to those with failed weaning attempt with the pooled mean difference of 14.52 (95% CI: 10.51, 18.54, p-value<0.01). The mean difference of RSBI was lower among those with successful weaning from intubation compared to those with failed weaning attempt with the pooled mean difference of -28.86 (95% CI: -41.82, -15.91, p-value<0.01). Our results suggest that evaluating diaphragmatic excursion and thickening fraction can reliably anticipate successful liberation from mechanical ventilation. However, significant heterogeneity was present among the included studies. High-quality research, particularly randomized clinical trials, is required to further elucidate the role of diaphragmatic ultrasound in predicting weaning from mechanical ventilation.