Resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography in emergency departments in the United States and Canada: A cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past two decades, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been used with increasing frequency to evaluate critically ill patients outside of traditional settings. The purpose of this study was to characterize the number of programs, users, practice characteristics, training and competency requirements and barriers for the current use of resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in Emergency Departments (EDs) in the United States and Canada. METHODS: A closed internet-based, cross-sectional, point-prevalence survey was administered via email to 120 program directors of emergency ultrasound fellowships (EUSF) and 43 physicians from EDs without EUSF from the United States and Canada. RESULTS: Ninety-eight percent of surveyed participants responded. Twenty percent of respondents reported having active resuscitative TEE programs. The majority of participating hospitals (70%) were academic centers with residency programs. A total of 33 programs reported using resuscitative TEE in their ED and of those, 82% were programs with EUSF. Most programs performing TEE (79%) had less than five attending physicians performing TEE. Evaluation of patients during resuscitation from cardiac arrest (100%) and post-arrest care (76%) are the two most frequent indications for TEE in the ED. The most common core elements of resuscitative TEE protocols used are: assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function (97%), assessment of right ventricular (RV) function (88%), evaluation of pericardial effusion / tamponade (52%). All programs reported using formal didactics in their training programs, 94% reported using high-fidelity simulation, and 79% live scanning of patients. Financial concerns were the most common barrier use of TEE in the ED (58%), followed by maintenance of equipment (30%), and credentialing/privileges (30%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a snapshot of the practice of resuscitative TEE in EDs in the United States and Canada revealing the existence of 33 programs using this emerging modality in the care of critically ill patients.

Point-of-care ultrasound diagnosis of stump appendicitis in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Stump appendicitis (SA) is a rare entity in patients with a history of appendectomy and may result in missed or delayed diagnosis. We report a case of SA diagnosed by emergency department (ED) point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in an elderly woman, thus expediting her care. CASE PRESENTATION: An elderly female patient with a history of appendectomy 27 years ago was referred by her physician to the ED with right lower quadrant pain for 2 days. Using PoCUS the emergency physician identified SA. This was confirmed by computed tomography (CT) scan. The patient was then successfully managed non-operatively using antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its rarity, it is feasible to diagnose SA using PoCUS, as patients presenting with right lower quadrant pain and history of appendectomy are at risk for delayed diagnosis, perforation, and poor outcome. PoCUS may reduce time to diagnosis, time to definitive operative or non-operative management, and minimize morbidity.

Variability in Interpretation of Cardiac Standstill Among Physician Sonographers.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Cardiac standstill on point-of-care ultrasonography has been widely studied as a marker of prognosis in cardiac arrest. Return of spontaneous circulation has been reported in as few as 0% and as many as 45% of patients with cardiac standstill. When explicitly documented, the definition of cardiac activity in these studies varied from any slight change in echogenicity of the myocardium to any kinetic cardiac activity. We hypothesize that the variability in research definitions of cardiac activity may affect interpretation of video clips of patients in cardiac arrest. The goal of this study is to assess the variability in interpretation of standstill among physician sonographers. METHODS: We surveyed physician sonographers at 6 conferences held at 3 academic medical centers in the Greater New York area. Survey respondents were allotted 20 seconds per slide to determine whether each of 15 video clips of patients in cardiac arrest were standstill or not. Data were collected anonymously with radio frequency remotes. RESULTS: There were 127 total participants, including faculty, fellows, and resident physicians specializing in emergency medicine, critical care, and cardiology. There was only moderate interrater agreement among all participants (α=0.47). This lack of agreement persisted across specialties, self-reported training levels, and self-reported ultrasonographic expertise. CONCLUSION: According to the results of our study, there appears to be considerable variability in interpretation of cardiac standstill among physician sonographers. Consensus definitions of cardiac activity and standstill would improve the quality of cardiac arrest ultrasonographic research and standardize the use of this technology at the bedside.

Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of Intravascular Air After Lower Extremity Intraosseous Access.

BACKGROUND: Vascular air embolism is a rare but potentially deadly phenomenon. Early diagnosis allows providers to initiate measures aimed at preventing further air entry, preventing the migration of air to the lungs, and mitigating the hemodynamic effects of pulmonary air embolism. CASE REPORT: An emergency physician used point-of-care ultrasound to identify intravascular air before embolization to the pulmonary vasculature. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Bedside ultrasound can be used as a tool for early diagnosis of intravascular air. Emergency physicians should be aware of the typical sonographic manifestations of intravascular air and the initial steps in treating vascular air embolism.

Focused cardiac ultrasound.

The use of point-of-care ultrasound of the heart is becoming more widespread. A variety of users have joined traditional users of cardiac ultrasound, cardiologists, and are imaging their patients in real time at the point of care. Patients with undifferentiated shock, hypotension, chest pain, or dyspnea are ideal candidates for focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS). In addition, any patient in whom the diagnosis of pericardial effusion or tamponade, pulmonary embolism, or left ventricular dysfunction is suspected would benefit from FOCUS. Of particular importance is the use of FOCUS to rapidly determine the etiology of cardiac arrest. This review will detail the indications, techniques, and limitations of FOCUS in these patients.

Lung ultrasound in the management of acute decompensated heart failure.

Once thought impracticable, lung ultrasound is now used in patients with a variety of pulmonary processes. This review seeks to describe the utility of lung ultrasound in the management of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). A literature search was carried out on PubMed/Medline using search terms related to the topic. Over three thousand results were narrowed down via title and/or abstract review. Related articles were downloaded for full review. Case reports, letters, reviews and editorials were excluded. Lung ultrasonographic multiple B-lines are a good indicator of alveolar interstitial syndrome but are not specific for ADHF. The absence of multiple B-lines can be used to rule out ADHF as a causative etiology. In clinical scenarios where the assessment of acute dyspnea boils down to single or dichotomous pathologies, lung ultrasound can help rule in ADHF. For patients being treated for ADHF, lung ultrasound can also be used to monitor response to therapy. Lung ultrasound is an important adjunct in the management of patients with acute dyspnea or ADHF.