Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Lung Consolidation Locations for Optimal Lung Ultrasound Scanning in Diagnosing Pediatric Pneumonia.
Lung ultrasound (US) has been shown to be accurate in diagnosing pneumonia in children. Evidence to inform an optimal scanning protocol is limited. Our objective is to describe an optimized lung US scanning protocol for pediatric pneumonia based on the anatomic location and transducer orientation. ⋯ Efficient lung US scanning may start with the posterior, anterior, and then lateral chest zones if no pneumonia is identified. A transverse transducer orientation detects more pneumonia than a sagittal orientation. Omission of either orientation or any lung zone may miss pneumonia.
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Point-of-care ultrasound (US) is an emerging tool used by pediatric emergency physicians in the last decade. Currently in the Middle East, point-of-care US use and education are at an early stage, with no designed curriculum or guidelines for its implementation in pediatric emergency medicine (EM). The objective of this article is to describe the clinical and educational uses of point-of-care US among certified pediatric EM physicians. ⋯ Despite the multiple applications of point-of-care US in pediatric EM, its use is still limited. Formal point-of-care US training with bedside sessions and courses was the mort preferred method of education. A designed curriculum needs to be implemented in pediatric emergency fellowships in Saudi Arabia.
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Case Reports
Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Cardiac Tamponade Identified by the Flow Velocity Paradoxus.
The presentation of cardiac tamponade is a spectrum from occult to extreme. The clinical history, physical exam, electrocardiogram, and radiographic findings of tamponade have poor sensitivities and even worse specificities. ⋯ The ultrasound finding we recommend is the flow velocity paradoxus, in which respiratory variation causes significant changes in transvalvular inflow velocities, which are exaggerated when tamponade is present. The management of a pericardial effusion depends on its physiologic effect, and point-of-care ultrasound directly measures that effect and expedites patient care.