Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Point-of-care ultrasound may be used to assist in the diagnosis of ocular complaints in the emergency department. With the use of a linear probe, the emergency physician can view anterior and posterior chamber structures of the patient's eye and evaluate for signs of pathology.
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Airway and thoracic ultrasound applications can provide critical information to improve patient safety for procedures and management of pulmonary conditions. Emergency physicians should utilize airway ultrasound in the preparation for an anatomically and/or physiologically difficult airway, which may include site demarcation for surgical airway planning. Thoracic ultrasound is useful in the prompt evaluation of a dyspneic patient. This article underscores the crucial role of airway and thoracic ultrasound in emergency medicine, emphasizing its utility for assessing difficult airways, planning surgical airways, and promptly evaluating dyspneic patients.
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Emerg. Med. Clin. North Am. · Nov 2024
ReviewGastrointestinal and Biliary Point-of-Care Ultrasound.
Point-of-care ultrasound has been shown to have excellent diagnostic accuracy for a variety of gastrointestinal and biliary pathologies. This review explores the evidence and scanning techniques for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, intussusception, appendicitis, small bowel obstruction, diverticulitis, hernias, pneumoperitoneum, and biliary pathology.
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Point-of-care ultrasound may be used to assist in the diagnosis of skin, soft tissue, and musculoskeletal concerns in the emergency department. Frequently, linear or curvilinear probes are used to perform these studies and ultrasound may be used to assist in common emergency department procedures related to these conditions.
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With the growing use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in various clinical settings, it is essential for users of ultrasound to have a thorough understanding of the basics of ultrasound physics, including sound wave properties, its interaction with various tissues, common artifacts, and knobology. The authors introduce and discuss these concepts in this article, with a focus on clinical implications.