• Roopa Kohli-Seth, Tzvi Neuman, Rakesh Sinha, and Adel Bassily-Marcus.
• Division of Surgical Critical Care Medicine, Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. Roopa.Kohli-Seth@mountsinai.org
• Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2010 Apr 1;23(2):239-45.

Purpose Of ReviewTrauma patients require evaluation of the anatomic structure as well as the hemodynamic profile of the heart to improve effectiveness of resuscitation. They are prone to hemodynamic instability and must be monitored with various modalities to detect deterioration early. Newer, less invasive ultrasound technologies are replacing familiar 'gold standard' modalities of the past. This article reviews the indications, roles, imaging approaches, and limitations of modern echocardiography. A brief review of other ICU monitoring modalities is also presented.Recent FindingsEchocardiography has emerged as a first-line diagnostic tool for assessment of trauma patients, especially those with hemodynamic compromise. It yields crucial information about structural damage as well as the hemodynamic profile and can be performed through either the transesophageal or transthoracic route. Quick and systematic use of echocardiography for diagnosis and management of critically injured patients may lead to improved outcomes.SummaryEchocardiography plays an important role in the trauma bay for diagnosis of thoracic injury and at the bedside in the ICU for evaluation of the hemodynamic profile.

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