Abstract
Basic ultrasound can provide important information about the main parts of the circulatory system, the heart, and the main vessels. At the bedside, only by brief visual impression of the heart function and infe-rior vena cava diameter, and without any measurements, the attending physician can get important information which can influence the clinical opinion-making process and the management of the hemo-dynamically unstable patient. No less im-portant is to obtain information about the lungs, particularly to estimate if extravas-cular lung water is present in excess or not. Ultrasound can help in the detection of the potentially reversible causes of hemody-namic instability or arrest and can guide the treatment. Examples are pneumotho-rax, cardiac tamponade, thromboembo-lism, the detection of blood in the pleural, pericardial or abdominal space after trau-ma and the detection and treatment of the source of the infection.
Highlights
Ultrasound is valuable in recognizing and understanding clinical problems
Bedside available, lacking side effects, not time consuming, and of relatively low cost compared to other imaging modalities, it became a useful addition to classical physical examination. It is attractive in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, where the transportation of patients out of the ICU is unpractical and potentially risky [1,2,3,4]
In the ICU, bedside ultrasound is a standard of care today
Summary
Ultrasound is valuable in recognizing and understanding clinical problems. Bedside available, lacking side effects, not time consuming, and of relatively low cost compared to other imaging modalities, it became a useful addition to classical physical examination. Only by brief visual impression of the heart function and inferior vena cava diameter, and without any measurements, the attending physician can get important information which can influence the clinical opinion-making process and the management of the hemodynamically unstable patient. Short visual impression of the heart morphology and function, and the filling status of inferior vena cava quickly achieved through the use of the ultrasound provide essential data for understanding the actual problems in a patient’s haemodynamics.
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