POCUS Journal Volume 06, Issue 01, released April 2021
Miguel Lourenço Varela, MD; Sofia Branco Ribeiro, MD; Andriy Krystopchuk, MD; Daniel Nunez, MD – Lung ultrasound has gained increasing use in the last few years, especially in the critically ill patients. By applying the probe on the thorax, much of the lung can be inspected and multiple conditions can be diagnosed and monitored, through anterior, lateral and posterior thoracic views.
Nathan A. Friedman, MD; Caleb P. Canders, MD; Alan T. Chiem, MD, MPH – A 46-year-old man presented with a painless mass on his dorsal right foot one week after striking it on a door. A traumatic hematoma was suspected, and needle aspiration of the mass is considered. However, point-of-care ultrasound performed by the emergency physician identified a pseudoaneurysm of the dorsalis pedis artery, a rare condition that can occur after minor trauma or iatrogenic intervention.
Jeffrey Lam, MD; Steven Montague, MSc, MD – A 78-year-old male with chronic kidney disease on peritoneal dialysis developed unprovoked bilateral pulmonary embolisms. He was started on IV unfractionated heparin, but shortly thereafter developed severe pain and a small firm abdominal nodule near his dialysis catheter site.
Omar Damji, BHSc, MSc, MD; Russ A. Lam, BSc, MD; Mark Bromley BSc, MD; Melanie Willimann BSc, MD – Pediatric endocarditis, a rare entity in developed countries, remains a challenging diagnosis to make in children. We present an uncommon etiology of shortness of breath on exertion (SOBOE) in a 7-year-old male presenting with two weeks of nocturnal fever, malaise and fatigue following a viral prodrome.
Evan Cameron, MD; Lawrence Istrail, MD – Herein is a case of POCUS diagnosing life threatening cardiac tamponade in a patient with a new diagnosis of JAK2+ myeloproliferative syndrome prompting urgent intervention with pericardiocentesis. This case illustrates the utility of POCUS through its ability to serve as a quick diagnostic tool that can hasten intervention for potentially life-threatening conditions.
Stephen Lammers, MD; Christopher Hong, MD; Jared Tepper, MD; Christy Moore, BS, RDMS, RVT; Cameron Baston, MD, MSCE; Cara D. Dolin, MD, MPH – Complications of fibroids in pregnancy are well known, including postpartum hemorrhage, labor dystocia, and cesarean delivery. Outside of pregnancy and labor, the rare occurrence of spontaneous fibroid rupture has been documented.
Mary Hennekes, BS; Sarah Rahman, BA; Andrea Schlosser, BBA; Anne Drake, BA; Tessa Nelson, BS; Emily Hoffberg, BS; Robert A. Jones, DO, FACEP – Gamification engages learners and has successfully taught point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to residents and fellows. Yet ultrasound (US) curricula in undergraduate medical education remains limited. This study assessed a gamification model integrating US, anatomy, physiology, physical examination, and radiology created for preclinical medical students as compared with traditional didactic education.
Dipika Gopal, MD; Cameron Baston, MD; Srinath Adusumalli, MD, MSHP; Dinesh Jagasia, MD; Stuart Prenner, MD – : Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) is a safe and efficient diagnostic intervention for internal medicine physicians. FCU is a highly teachable skill, but is used in routine cardiac assessment in only 20% of surveyed training programs. We developed an FCU curriculum for internal medicine residents and an assessment tool to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on trainee knowledge and confidence.
Soundappan S.V. Soundappan, MBBS, M.Ch (Paed Surg), FRACS (Paed); Albert Lam, MBBS, FRACR, DDU, PhD; Lawrence Lam, MPH, PhD; Danny Cass, MBBS, FRACS (Paed), PhD; Andrew J.A. Holland, MBBS, FRACS(Paed), PhD; Jonathan Karpelowsky, MBBCH, FRACS (Paed), PhD – Intussusception is an abdominal emergency that affects all ages but infants most commonly and can cause significant morbidity and mortality if missed. Clinical presentation of intussusception can be varied and non-specific and imaging (primarily ultrasound) is usually performed to confirm diagnosis. Abdominal radiographs may be non-specific and contrast studies involve ionising radiation. Ultrasound (US) has evolved as the gold standard imaging for diagnosis because of its high accuracy.
Rajkumar Rajendram, FRCP Lond; and Mamdouh Souleymane, MD; Naveed Mahmood, FRCP Edin; Rakan Sambas, MD; Yousuf M.S. Kharal, MD – Renal, gastrointestinal, and hepatic pathology, and the resources available for their management vary internationally. Whilst abdominal point-of-care ultrasound (APOCUS) should enhance management, uptake by physicians, worldwide, has been poor. So, the aim of this study was to explore the applicability of APOCUS to medical practice in Saudi Arabia, residents’ current ability to perform APOCUS, and the skill gaps.