The pathophysiological basis of the BLUE-protocol shows that each acute condition able to generate a pleural effusion is also able to generate a lung consolidation (and vice versa, more logically). In acute pulmonary edema (hemodynamic and permeability induced), in pneumonia, and in pulmonary embolism, e.g., both disorders can exist together. In the aim of giving the most simple tool, we considered together effusion and consolidation. This simplification did not decrease the accuracy of the BLUE-protocol. Therefore, we present a new syndrome considering both disorders. The main outcome will be a faster training of the medical teams.

PLAPS (posterolateral alveolar and/or pleural syndrome) is a practical onomatopoeia (it can look like a splash), which figures out the image seen usually (Fig. 15.1). Let us analyze this term step by step.