Dr. Pradeep D’Costa, Senior Consultant in General Medicine and Critical Care at KEM Hospital, Pune, brings over two decades of expertise in emergency and critical care medicine. With an MBBS, DNB in Emergency Medicine, and ISCCM certification in Critical Care, Dr. D’Costa has been instrumental in adopting innovative tools to enhance patient outcomes—most notably, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).
Since integrating ultrasound into his clinical practice in 2008, Dr. D’Costa has leveraged it as a vital extension supporting his diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities. He emphasizes the value of POCUS for its speed, bedside accessibility, and real-time utility in critical care scenarios. His routine applications of POCUS include cranial studies for trauma, vascular assessments in sepsis, advanced cardiac evaluations, and abdominal protocols such as E-FAST, RUSH, and FATE. Currently, he utilizes the Sonosite M-Turbo, and the Sonosite PX for diagnostic and procedural applications.
Dr. D’Costa shares compelling clinical insights where POCUS proved decisive. In one instance, Transcranial Doppler was used to assess neurological function in a neuroparalytic snakebite case. In another, it facilitated the early detection of vasospasm in a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), enabling timely intervention. He also highlights POCUS’s role in differentiating cardiopulmonary conditions, rapidly assessing internal bleeding, ensuring safe fetal monitoring in rural setups, and performing precise nerve blocks.
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. D’Costa is a dedicated educator in ultrasound medicine. For the past 13 years, he has spearheaded the “Best of Brussels” ultrasound workshop and frequently contributes to WIN FOCUS, and various critical care Ultrasound refresher courses at KEM hospital.
“POCUS has changed how we practice medicine—at the bedside, in real-time, and with greater precision,” Dr. D’Costa affirms, reflecting his commitment to innovation and excellence in patient care.