Emergency Physician Performed Ultrasound-Guided Abdominal Paracentesis: A Retrospective Analysis 

Brandon M. Wubben, MD; Jad Dandashi, MD; Omar Rizvi, MD; Srikar Adhikari, MD – Emergency physicians commonly perform ultrasound-assisted abdominal paracentesis, using point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to identify ascites and select a site for needle insertion. However, ultrasound-guided paracentesis has the benefit of real-time needle visualization during the entire procedure. Our objective was to characterize the performance of emergency physician-performed ultrasound-guided paracentesis using POCUS, their ability to achieve good in-plane needle visualization, and factors associated with procedural success.

Best Practices for Point of Care Ultrasound: An Interdisciplinary Expert Consensus 

Brandon Oto, PA-C FCCM; Robert Baeten, PA-C FCCP; Leon Chen, DNP AGACNP-BC FCCP FAANP FCCM; Puja Dalal, MD FAAFP; Ria Dancel, MD FACP SFHM FAAP; Steven Fox, MD; Carl William Lange IV, MSBS EM-CAQ PA-C; Cameron Baston, MD MSCE FACP; Paul Bornemann, MD RMSK RPVI; Siddharth Dugar, MD FCCM FASE FCCP; Andrew Goldsmith, MD MBA; Meghan Kelly Herbst, MD FACEP; James N. Kirkpatrick, MD FASE FACC; Abhilash Koratala, MD FASN; Michael J. Lanspa, MD; Viveta Lobo, MD FACEP; Jason T Nomura, MD FACEP FAAEM FACP FAHA; Aliaksei Pustavoitau, MD MHS FCCM; Mourad H. Senussi, MD MS; Vincent L. Sorrell, MD FACP (honorary) FACC FASE FSCCT FSCMR; Frances Mae West, MD MS FACP; Aarti Sarwal, MD FNCS FAAN FCCM FASN RPNI – Despite the growing use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) in contemporary medical practice and the existence of clinical guidelines addressing its specific applications, there remains a lack of standardization and agreement on optimal practices for several areas of POCUS use. The Society of Point of Care Ultrasound (SPOCUS) formed a working group in 2022 to establish a set of recommended best practices for POCUS, applicable to clinicians regardless of their training, specialty, resource setting, or scope of practice.

The Use of Point of Care Ultrasound in Diagnosis of Peritonsillar Abscess

Brian Kohen; Melanie Perez; Jheanelle McKay; Rolando Zamora; Curtis Xu – The use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) for diagnosis and treatment of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is increasing [1]. Proven advantages include improved diagnostic accuracy and treatment success rates as well as decreased otolaryngology consultation, computed tomography (CT) usage, return visits to the emergency department (ED), and length of stay [1]. We present a case of a patient with a PTA that was diagnosed and successfully treated utilizing POCUS, avoiding the need for otolaryngology consultation and CT.