Associate Professor Duke University Health System Durham, North Carolina
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Session Description: This talk summarizes best practices for thoracic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department (ED) patients presenting with acute respiratory distress. We describe common and advanced lung ultrasound findings and optimal pulmonary windows for rapid bedside patient diagnosis and treatment. We will demonstrate POCUS findings for normal lung anatomy, pneumothorax, pneumonia, alveolar interstitial syndrome (e.g. congestive heart failure), pleural effusions, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Topics include A, B, and Z lines; lung sliding; lung consolidations; types of pleural effusions; air bronchograms; and more. Finally, we will briefly describe the BLUE and FALLS protocols for acute respiratory and circulatory failure, respectively. By developing a systematic and simple approach to lung ultrasound, ED providers can efficiently guide patient management and improve patient outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
Systematically obtain optimal lung ultrasound windows
Describe common and advanced ultrasound image findings for pulmonary diseases
Develop an approach to rapid diagnosis and treatment of respiratory distress patients using POCUS
Systematically obtain optimal lung ultrasound windows