School of Medicine Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-24-2023
Abstract
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as an indispensable diagnostic tool in cardiology, particularly within the emergency department. This narrative synthesis provides a comprehensive exploration of POCUS applications in cardiovascular diseases, elucidating its multifaceted roles and addressing challenges. The review delves into the technical attributes of POCUS, emphasizing its noninvasive nature, radiation-free qualities, and suitability for non-radiologists. It navigates through educational strategies, stressing the importance of structured programs for the seamless integration of POCUS into clinical practice. Highlighting its efficacy, the synthesis discusses POCUS applications in various scenarios such as dyspnea, chest pain, cardiac arrest, aortic dissection, pericardial effusion, and pulmonary embolism. Beyond acute care, the review explores the role of POCUS in outpatient and inpatient settings, focusing on chronic and acute heart failure, valvular heart diseases, and more. Acknowledging operator dependent challenges and the need for continuous education, the review underscores the transformative potential of POCUS across diverse healthcare settings. This narrative synthesis accentuates POCUS as a valuable and versatile diagnostic tool in cardiology, offering efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Despite challenges, POCUS stands out as a transformative addition to clinical practices, poised to enhance patient outcomes and reshape the landscape of cardiovascular diagnostics
Recommended Citation
Martinez, E. C., Diarte, E., Martinez, D. O., Reyes, L. R., Cano, D. A. A., Navarro, C. C., ... & Ycaza-Zurita, M. G. (2023). Point-of-care ultrasound for the diagnosis of frequent cardiovascular diseases: a review. Cureus, 15(12). https://doi.or/g10.7759/cureus.51032
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Cureus
Academic Level
resident
Mentor/PI Department
Internal Medicine
Comments
© Copyright 2023 Calderon Martinez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited