Point of care cardiac ultrasound applications in the emergency department and intensive care unit--a review.
The use of point of care echocardiography by non-cardiologist in acute care settings such as the emergency department (ED) or the intensive care unit (ICU) is very common. Unlike diagnostic echocardiography, the scope of such point of care exams is often restricted to address the clinical questions raised by the patient's differential diagnosis or chief complaint in order to inform immediate management decisions. In this article, an overview of the most common applications of this focused echocardiography in the ED and ICU is provided. This includes but is not limited to the evaluation of patients experiencing hypotension, cardiac arrest, cardiac trauma, chest pain and patients after cardiac surgery.
Division of Critical Care and Division of Emergency Medicine, Western University, 800 Commissioners Rd East, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5W9. robert.arntfield@gmail.com
Robert T
RT
Arntfield
Scott J
SJ
Millington
D001810:Blood Volume; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000150:complications; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left