Primary Care

ICU Management & Practice

Dr. Gulrukh Zaidi, MD and Prof. Seth Koenig, MD

Physicians have used ultrasonography for more than half a century to aid diagnoses and guide procedures, but the advent of portable ultrasound systems that physicians can use to see and assess physiological function firsthand, and in real time, has revolutionized patient care in the intensive care unit. This shift from traditional ultrasound, in which a technician and/or consulting radiologist obtains and interprets patient ultrasound images, reduces dissociation in patient care and shortens time-to-diagnosis. What goal-directed applications of point-of-care ultrasound are recognized as being among the most valuable in critical care? In this article, Drs. Gulrukh Zaidi and Seth Koenig of Hofstra University present four areas in which intensivists can apply point-of-care ultrasound to improve outcomes in the critically ill.

In the last decade there has been a widespread adoption of portable ultrasound in point of care (POCUS) for primary care.

This article enumerates the benefits and applications of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and details procedural guidance for join and soft tissue injections and aspirations.  Dr. Goyal also explains that ultrasound technology has been shown to be 6.5 times more sensitive than x-rays for early, accurate diagnosis of small bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.  He argues that point of care US can significantly reduce medical errors and offer efficient real-time diagnosis.   US can replace or supplement more expensive imaging technologies such as CT in appropriate clinical scenarios.