Point-of-Care Ultrasound and Clinical Findings in 14 Cats With High-Rise Syndrome.

POCUS is superior to radiography for detecting pneumothorax in feline high-rise syndrome.

This retrospective descriptive study evaluated point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) findings in 14 cats presenting with high-rise syndrome from falls ranging 1-9 stories. Mean respiratory rate was 53/min with only two cats in respiratory distress. Twelve cats survived to discharge. POCUS examinations included abdominal imaging and pleural/lung ultrasound (PLUS). Abdominal POCUS was unremarkable in all cases. PLUS detected pneumothorax in five cats (three unilateral, two bilateral) using loss of lung sliding, lung point identification, and asynchronous curtain signs. Six cats showed coalescent B-lines and one had ventral consolidation. While thoracic radiographs identified pneumothorax in only three of five PLUS-positive cases and missed pulmonary contusions in three cats with B-lines, PLUS demonstrated superior sensitivity. Limb and pelvic radiographs identified fractures in six cats. This study highlights POCUS advantages in trauma assessment, demonstrating that absent lung sliding combined with lung point or asynchronous curtain signs reliably diagnoses pneumothorax in feline high-rise syndrome cases.

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