Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2010
ReviewUse of echocardiography and modalities of patient monitoring of trauma patients.
Trauma 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. ⋯ Echocardiography 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.