J Emerg Med
-
Observational Study
High Body Mass Index is Strongly Correlated with Decreased Image Quality in Focused Bedside Echocardiography.
There is a well-established relationship between obesity, as measured by body mass index (BMI), and overall health risk. The presence of body fat is a known limitation to ultrasound, but it is unknown whether any decrease in quality due to obesity limits the interpretability of focused bedside echocardiography (FBE). ⋯ There is an overall decrease in the quality of focused bedside echocardiographic images as BMI increases. This relationship exists for visualization of both the PMI and the ELV. Emergency physicians should be aware of the potential limitations of focused bedside echocardiography in this patient population.
-
Because more than one-third of the U.S. population visits an emergency department (ED) any given year, public health interventions in the ED can have major population-level impacts. ⋯ Interest in obtaining kiosk-delivered education on hypertension predominated. Kiosks are versatile tools that could be used in ED settings to provide health education services.