POCUS Journal Volume 09, Issue 02, released November 2024
Benjamin T. Galen – We are thrilled to bring you the second issue of the ninth volume of POCUS Journal. Published since 2016, POCUS Journal is the only multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed, POCUS-focused journal that is free for authors and readers alike.
Kendall Lavin-Parsons, Zachary W. Binder – Injuries are a common presenting complaint in the emergency department [1]. Pain from injuries has traditionally been treated with opioids [2]. Extensive research exists describing the potential adverse effects of systemic opioids including bradypnea, hypotension, and central nervous system depression.
George Ntoumenopoulos, Georgina A. Pizimolas, Sarine Mani, Simon Hayward, Jane Lockstone – Lung Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) strongly influences physiotherapy and respiratory therapy clinical decision-making in the intensive care unit (ICU). The uptake of Lung POCUS training by physiotherapists and respiratory therapists is low in some countries, often due to many barriers to its implementation.
John M. Bowling, Erick Zoumberakis – Performing an ultrasound-guided nerve block (UGNB) is now common practice in many emergency departments (EDs) and is considered a core skill according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Nerve blocks are mostly utilized for fractures and laceration repairs, however, these blocks have many other applications. We present a case of utilizing an ulnar UGNB in a patient with flexor tenosynovitis and a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) when parental opiates proved to be ineffective.
Alfred Doblinger – The early diagnosis of stress fractures is a challenge in daily primary care practice. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) can be helpful in the diagnosis of early signs of an incipient stress fracture. A 52-year-old woman presented with a history of chronic overuse in the left forefoot.
Waseem Sous, George Limwado, Enoch Ndarama, Michaela Sous – Malignant cardiac tumors are quite rare, but portend a poor prognosis [1,2]. Early identification and classification are essential given their aggressive nature, particularly when metastases are present [3,4]. Clinical presentations are varied, and detection relies primarily on echocardiography.
Anderson Wang, Aalap Shah – A calculous cholecystitis is a life-threatening diagnosis that is more commonly associated with ill patients in the ICU. We present a case of acute acalculous cholecystitis (ACC) in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with right-sided chest pain that was ultimately diagnosed with point of care ultrasound (POCUS).
Jina Bai, Todd Cutler – A 68-year-old man presented with one week of vague abdominal symptoms and was found to have new ascites and pulmonary embolism for which a heparin drip was initiated. We report a case diagnosing hemoperitoneum with point of care ultrasound (POCUS).
Djoser Mack, Joselyn Miller, Frank Yuan, Edison Lee, Trent She – Morel-Lavallee Lesion (MLL) is a rare diagnosis of a closed internal degloving injury that can occur with high energy trauma. The pain, soft tissue swelling, and ecchymosis that patients describe mimic many other emergent diagnoses to include compartment syndrome and fractures.
David J McCreary – POCUS is a useful tool for correctly identifying pulled elbow. We believe that clinicians working in Pediatric Emergency Departments should be encouraged to embrace using it in cases which are less straightforward – either due to an atypical history or based on examination findings.