Background The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to find better ways to accurately diagnose what can be an elusory disease, preferably in a way that limits exposure to others. The potential for home diagnosis and monitoring could reduce infectious risk for other patients and healthcare providers, limit use of finite hospital resources and enable better social distancing/isolation practices. Case Report We report a case of an otherwise healthy Emergency Physician diagnosed with COVID-19 at home using portable ultrasound, pulse oximetry and antibody testing. Her clinical picture and typical lung findings of COVID-19 on ultrasound, combined with a normal echo and negative DVT study, helped inform her diagnosis. She then monitored her clinical course using pulse oximetry, was able to self-isolate for four weeks and had an uneventful recovery. Her diagnosis was confirmed with a positive IgG antibody test after three weeks. Conclusions Novel times call for novel solutions and our case demonstrates one possible path for home diagnosis and monitoring of COVID-19. The tools used, namely ultrasound and pulse oximetry, should be familiar with most modern emergency physicians. Ultrasound in particular was helpful in eliminating other potential diagnoses, such as pulmonary embolus.
A Case of COVID-19 Diagnosed At Home with Portable Ultrasound and Confirmed with Home Serology Test