POCUS can be an essential bedside tool for rapid diagnosis in paediatric patients with acute respiratory failure. This webinar reviews fundamental paediatric lung scanning techniques, narrowing the differential for the major causes of paediatric respiratory failure, making clinical decisions based on key POCUS findings, and recognising the benefits and limitations of POCUS in paediatric respiratory diagnostics.
What You'll Learn
- Identify and perform the standard probe positions and techniques required for a comprehensive paediatric Lung Ultrasound exam in patients with acute respiratory failure.
- Differentiate between the characteristic ultrasound findings (e.g., A-lines, B-lines, consolidation, pleural effusion) that represent the major causes of paediatric respiratory failure (e.g., pneumonia, pulmonary edoema, pneumothorax, atelectasis).
- Integrate POCUS findings into the clinical decision-making process.
- Recognise the key limitations of POCUS in the paediatric respiratory patient and evaluate its role as a rapid, radiation-free alternative to traditional chest imaging.
Dr. Michael completed his combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria. He then pursued a Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellowship at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. With a strong commitment to global health and innovative practice, he completed an additional year of training: a Critical Care Ultrasound Fellowship (Western University, London, ON) combined with a Pediatric Critical Care Global Health Fellowship (Blantyre, Malawi). During his time in Blantyre, he conducted influential ultrasound-based research on Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in pediatric cerebral malaria.
Currently practicing at IU and Riley Children’s Hospital, Dr. Michael continues his involvement in global health research, collaborating on pediatric severe malaria projects in Uganda. His primary clinical and research interests are centered on the intersection of global health and the utilization of POCUS in the management of critically ill children, particularly in lower-resource settings.