Project description:BackgroundThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic, overwhelming health care systems around the world. Hospitals around the world, including the United States, have been struggling to adapt to the influx of patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV2, given limited resources and high demand for medical care.ObjectivesThis article seeks to provide emergency physicians with a guide to sonographic findings in COVID-19 and an algorithm by which point-of-care lung ultrasound may assist emergency physicians caring for these patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.DiscussionThe studies currently being published have established a typical set of ultrasound findings in COVID-19. Point-of-care lung ultrasound is rapid and accessible in most emergency departments in the United States, and even in many resource-poor settings.ConclusionPoint-of-care ultrasound provides numerous benefits to emergency providers caring for patients with COVID-19, including decreasing resource utilization, assisting in diagnosis, guiding management of the critically ill patient, and aiding in rapid triage of patients under investigations for COVID-19.
Project description:Iatrogenic aortic dissection (IAD) status-post-cardiac catheterization is a rare complication often isolated to the proximal aorta. This is a case of IAD isolated to the distal aorta in a 41-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with right leg pain after undergoing three cardiac catheterizations. The diagnosis of IAD was made upon discovery of an intimal flap in the distal aorta and femoral artery while performing a point-of-care ultrasound to evaluate for deep vein thrombosis.
Project description:IntroductionThere is limited access to life-saving antenatal ultrasound in rural and low-resource settings largely due to shortages in skilled staff. Studies have shown healthcare practitioners can be upskilled in PoCUS through focused training, offering a viable solution to this deficit. However, standards for training and competency assessment are unclear and regulation surrounding practice is lacking. We aimed to review published literature examining antenatal PoCUS training programs, comparing teaching approaches and study methodologies.MethodsA search of electronic databases EMBASE, MEDLINE and Google Scholar was conducted. Original research articles evaluating antenatal PoCUS training of healthcare professionals worldwide were identified for analysis. Articles with limited detail on the PoCUS training intervention and those describing comprehensive diagnostic training programs were excluded. Evaluations were compared against the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework (KEF).ResultsTwenty-seven studies were included from an initial search result of 484 articles. There was considerable heterogeneity between the PoCUS training programs described. Course duration ranged from 3 hours to 2 years, with 11 of the 27 studies delivering obstetric-exclusive content. 44% trained multidisciplinary groups of health professionals. Long-term follow-up training and skills assessments were lacking in over half of the reviewed studies. Study quality and reporting detail varied, but overall beneficial outcomes were reported with 3/4s of the studies reaching upper KEF levels 3 and 4.ConclusionPoCUS performed by upskilled healthcare professionals offers an attractive solution to the problem of inequitable access to antenatal ultrasound. A review of available literature highlighted a paucity of comparable high-quality studies needed to establish a stronger evidence base for antenatal PoCUS, and a need to standardise training and competency assessment. This review may inform educators, researchers and policy-makers on existing training formats and methodologies to assist in establishing best practice antenatal PoCUS training methods for safe service delivery by remote healthcare professionals.
Project description:BackgroundPoint-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used as a non-invasive vascular access assessment method by clinicians from multiple disciplines worldwide, prior and during vascular access cannulations. While POCUS is a relatively new method to establish a vascular access in patients with complex vascular conditions, it is also essential to train and educate individuals who are novices in the techniques of cannulation so that they become proficient in performing this task subsequently on patients safely and successfully. A simulated environment may be a helpful tool to help healthcare providers establish skills in using POCUS safely and may also help them to successfully establish vascular access in patients. With this project, we sought to determine if participants of a simulated POCUS workshop for vascular access can use this technique successfully in their individual clinical environment after their attendance of a half-day workshop.MethodsA mixed-methods longitudinal study design was chosen to evaluate a point-of-care ultrasound workshop for peripheral intravenous cannula insertion. The workshops used simulation models for cannulation in combination with multiple ultrasound devices from various manufacturers to expose participants to a broader variety of POCUS devices as they may also vary in different clinical areas. Participants self-assessed their cannulation skills using questionnaires on a 10-point rating scale prior to and directly after the workshop.ResultsA total of 85 Individuals participated in eleven half-day workshops through 2021 and 2022. Workshop participants claimed that attending the workshop had significantly enhanced their clinical skill of using ultrasound for the purpose of cannulating a venous vessel. The level of confidence in using this technique had increased in all participants directly after conclusion of the workshop.ConclusionsGlobally, clinicians are increasingly using POCUS to establish vascular access in patients, and it is necessary that they receive sufficient and adequately structured and formal training to successfully apply this technique in their clinical practice. Offering a workshop which uses simulation models in combination with various POCUS devices to demonstrate this technique in a hands-on approach has proven to be useful to establish this newly learned skill in clinicians.
Project description:BackgroundThe effects of early integration of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) into patient care are uncertain. This study aims to investigate the effects of early PoCUS on patients with acute flank pain.MethodsAdult non-traumatic patients with acute flank pain receiving PoCUS were enrolled. Expert physicians reviewed the medical records and made the "final diagnosis" for the cause of acute flank pain. The primary outcome was the relationship between the door to ultrasound (US) time and length of stay (LOS). The secondary outcomes included the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the sonographic diagnosis, compared with the final diagnosis.ResultsEight hundred and eighty-eight patients were included in the analysis. Patients receiving early PoCUS (≤120 min) had a shorter LOS (128 vs. 217 min, p < 0.0001). Patients in the late POCUS group (> 120 min) had a trend to receive more CT scans. The disease distribution, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were similar in patients receiving early or late PoCUS for target diagnoses. After adjusting for the confounders, early PoCUS (OR, 2.77, 95% CIs, 1.93-3.98) had a positive impact on shorter LOS. In addition, the effect of early PoCUS became more prominent (OR, 4.91, 95% CIs, 3.39-7.13) on LOS in less than 3 h.ConclusionsEarly integration of PoCUS is significantly related to shorter LOS in patients with acute flank pain without increasing morbidity and mortality. Our results suggested "PoCUS early" in these patients to possibly alleviate emergency department crowding. Trial registration NCT04149041 at the ClinicalTrial.gov.
Project description:Case presentationA 67-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) complaining of generalized abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated dilated bowel loops measuring up to 4.1 centimeters and localized free fluid, consistent with a small bowel obstruction (SBO). A nasogastric tube was placed without complications. The patient was admitted to the hospital and conservatively managed with an uncomplicated course.DiscussionIn elderly patients with abdominal pain, POCUS is an excellent initial imaging modality to assist emergency physicians in rapid and accurate diagnosis of a variety of pathologies to expedite management. Point-of-care ultrasound can be used to rule out and evaluate for conditions encountered in emergency medicine, including acute cholecystitis, renal colic, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and intraperitoneal free fluid. As demonstrated in our case presentation, POCUS had an integral role in the early diagnosis and management of a SBO.
Project description:Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a powerful clinical tool that has seen widespread adoption, including in Internal Medicine (IM), yet standardized curricula designed by trained faculty are scant. To address the demand for POCUS education at our institution, we created a resident-championed curriculum with support from skilled faculty across multiple specialties. Our objective was to teach postgraduate year (PGY)-3 IM residents the basics of POCUS for evaluation of the pulmonary, cardiac, and abdominal systems through resident-developed workshops. The goal of acquisition of these skills was for resident education and to inform decisions to pursue further patient testing. Methods: Three half-day workshops were created to teach residents how to obtain and interpret ultrasound images of the pulmonary, cardiac, and abdominal systems. Workshops were comprised of didactic teaching and practical ultrasound instruction with expert supervision of clinicians within and outside of IM. Residents were asked to complete a written survey before and after each workshop to assess confidence, knowledge, and likelihood of future POCUS use. Results: Across the three workshops (pulmonary, cardiac, and abdominal), 66 sets of pre- and post-workshop surveys (32 pulmonary, 25 cardiac, and 9 abdominal) were obtained and analyzed. Confidence in and knowledge regarding POCUS use increased significantly across all three workshops. Likelihood of future use increased in the cardiac workshop. Conclusions: We implemented a resident-championed POCUS curriculum that led to improved attitudes and increased knowledge of POCUS for PGY-3 IM residents.
Project description:Case presentationA 77-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain. Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was performed and demonstrated a hyperechoic structure on the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Admission to cardiology and echocardiogram revealed moderately decreased mobility of the posterior leaflet, mitral annular calcification, and severe mitral regurgitation.DiscussionThese findings highlight the role of POCUS in identifying mitral valve pathology in the ED, ultimately leading to appropriate disposition and management. Mitral annular calcification can lead to significant manifestations including mitral stenosis or regurgitation, and advanced cases have been associated with an increased risk of infective endocarditis, thrombosis, and arrhythmia.