POCUS Med Ed

The hardcover version of The POCUS Textbook is officially released!!!! Get a copy: amazon.com/dp/B0FV93KW7C/… 🏥100+ Figures without abbreviations 💊Dozens of videos accessible by QR code with NO passwords and NO paywalls 🩹Step-by-step tutorials by Dr. Istrail for all experience levels. @NephroP @Wilkinsonjonny @iceman_ex @POCUSpeek #foamed #meded #MedTwitter

We quantitatively assessed the degree of echogenicity in the proximal and mid segments of both coronary arteries to determine its additional diagnostic value in 109 patients with clinically suspected Kawasaki disease. Read our @JournalASEcho article: bit.ly/4dzdHkg

@smithECGBlog @PendellM @IM_Crit_ @NephroP To learn how to use POCUS to diagnose or rule out pulmonary embolus and to evaluate patients with chest pain using POCUS, get a copy of The POCUS Textbook in Kindle or Hardcover today! buff.ly/iWcsn7C

A CT angiogram of the chest revealed large bilateral PEs. This case highlights an important concept: All unexplained chest pain must have a comprehensive POCUS exam. Aortic dissection, pericardial effusion, PE, pulmonary infarct, and many other conditions may mimic the symptoms of a heart attack, and unless you look you may never find it.

Reason number 76788 why POCUS is important: not all chest pain is a heart attack. A middle-aged man presented to the hospital with chest pain while walking his dog. Pain improved with rest. He is otherwise thin and healthy and has no major cardiac risk factors. Vitals were as follows: HR 58 BP 117/67 RR 15 SpO2 of 98% on room air

Also recently uploaded: Top 10 Physical Exam Findings: Cardiology 10 high-yield cardiac findings including pulsus paradoxus, Kussmaul’s sign, Quincke’s pulse, gallop rhythm, radial–femoral delay, etc. Full video: youtu.be/vmna3qoQTwc #MedTwitter #Cardiology #PhysicalExam

To learn more about pleural effusion detection with POCUS, get a copy of The POCUS Textbook: a complete guide to point-of-care ultrasound of the blood vessels, heart, and lungs. GET A COPY! buff.ly/iWcsn7C

The pleural effusion also functions as a diagnostic clue in other conditions. Bilateral effusions in the setting of bilateral B-lines support cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Absence of effusions with bilateral B-lines raises concern for pulmonary fibrosis or viral pneumonia instead.

Chest X-ray is the standard tool for detecting pleural effusions. But it requires at least 200 mL of fluid before it can see anything. And even then, the results are unreliable. POCUS can detect as little as 3 mL.

To learn more about pneumonia diagnosis with POCUS, get a copy of The POCUS Textbook — a complete guide to point-of-care ultrasound of the blood vessels, heart, and lungs. Get a copy! amazon.com/POCUS-Textbook…

The POCUS pneumonia diagnostic algorithm: evaluating consolidation size, laterality, pleural character, and bronchogram pattern to differentiate bacterial from viral etiologies and inform antibiotic decisions.

Chest X-rays guide antibiotic decisions for millions of patients with respiratory symptoms every year. But their positive predictive value for pneumonia is 26.9%. A thread on what that number means and what changes with POCUS.