Hypotension and Shock
Key Points • Point-of-care ultrasound is an effective, noninvasive tool to rapidly and accurately assess hemodynamically unstable patients at the bedside. • Hypovolemic, cardiogenic, obstructive, and distributive shock can be…
Skin and Soft Tissues
Key Points • Point-of-care ultrasound can aid in diagnosis of cellulitis and identify patients with underlying abscess or necrotizing fasciitis. • Diagnosis and removal of retained foreign bodies can be…
First-Trimester Pregnancy
Key Points • Point-of-care ultrasound is used to evaluate symptomatic pregnant patients in the first trimester to accurately exclude ectopic pregnancy using either a transabdominal or transvaginal approach. • Combining…
Dyspnea and Acute Respiratory Failure
Key Points • Providers must readily recognize the five main discriminating artifacts produced by lung ultrasound: lung sliding, A-lines, B-lines, consolidation, and effusion. • The presence or absence of discrete…
Cardiac Arrest
Key Points • Detection of cardiac standstill with bedside ultrasound can guide decision making regarding whether to continue resuscitative efforts. • Point-of-care ultrasound can identify patients with pseudo-pulseless electrical activity,…
Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Key Points • Ultrasound-guided single-injection nerve blocks can be a primary or adjunctive tool to reduce pain from acute injuries or uncomfortable procedures. • Targeted deposition of local anesthetic near…
Ocular Ultrasound
Key Points • Measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by ocular ultrasound provides a rapid, noninvasive quantitative method to assess for elevated intracranial pressure at the bedside, with…
Thyroid Gland
Key Points • Recognizing normal thyroid gland anatomy and architecture is important for providers utilizing ultrasound at the bedside. • Thyroid nodules are common, but nodules with concerning findings by…
