Critical ultrasound journal
-
Ventilator-induced lung injury is a form of mechanical damage leading to a pulmonary inflammatory response related to the use of mechanical ventilation enhanced by the presence of atelectasis. One proposed mechanism of this injury is the repetitive opening and closing of collapsed alveoli and small airways within these atelectatic areas-a phenomenon called tidal recruitment. The presence of tidal recruitment is difficult to detect, even with high-resolution images of the lungs like CT scan. The purpose of this article is to give evidence of tidal recruitment by lung ultrasound. ⋯ Lung ultrasound was helpful in detecting the presence of atelectasis and tidal recruitment and in confirming their resolution after a lung recruitment maneuver.
-
The evolution of an integrated ultrasound curriculum (iUSC) for medical students: 9-year experience.
Interest in ultrasound education in medical schools has increased dramatically in recent years as reflected in a marked increase in publications on the topic and growing attendance at international meetings on ultrasound education. In 2006, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine introduced an integrated ultrasound curriculum (iUSC) across all years of medical school. That curriculum has evolved significantly over the 9 years. ⋯ Students learn ultrasound well and have embraced it as an important component of their education and future practice of medicine. An international consensus conference on ultrasound education is recommended to help define the essential elements of ultrasound education globally to ensure ultrasound is taught and ultimately practiced to its full potential. Ultrasound has the potential to fundamentally change how we teach and practice medicine to the benefit of learners and patients across the globe.
-
Unrecognized esophageal intubations are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. No single confirmatory device has been shown to be 100 % accurate at ruling out esophageal intubations in the emergency department. Recent studies have demonstrated that point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may be a useful adjunct for confirming endotracheal tube placement; however, the amount of practice required to become proficient at this technique is unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of practice required by emergency physicians to become proficient at interpreting ultrasound video clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations. ⋯ After a brief online tutorial and only two practice attempts, emergency physicians were able to quickly and accurately interpret ultrasound intubation clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations.
-
Changes of volume status can be readily inferred from variations in diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC) measured by ultrasound. However the effect of IVC changes following acute blood loss are not fully established. In this study, three different approaches to measuring IVC variables were compared in healthy blood donors, as a model of acute volume depletion, in order to establish their relative ability to detect acute blood loss. ⋯ IVC diameter and collapsibility index variations, as measured in M mode, consistently detect volume changes after blood donation. The longitudinal mid-hepatic approach performed better by allowing a panoramic view, avoiding anatomical aberrancies at fixed points and permitting to identify the best possible perpendicular plane to the IVC. In addition, it was able to detect time-dependent physiological volume replacement. In contrast, in our hands, the renal window could not be visualized consistently well.
-
It is important to detect splenomegaly as it can have important diagnostic implications. Previous studies, however, have shown that the traditional physical examination is limited in its ability to rule in or rule out splenomegaly. ⋯ Point-of-care ultrasonography significantly improves examiners' sensitivity in diagnosing splenomegaly.