Cough Causing Abdominal Pain? A Rapid POCUS Diagnosis of Rectus Sheath Hematoma

Abstract

We present a case of a 59-year-old man who arrived to the emergency department with abdominal pain and bruising after coughing. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) was used to make the diagnosis of rectus sheath hematoma (RSH). This diagnosis was made within minutes of arrival to the ED and subsequently confirmed on computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen. As abdominal ultrasound is a technically straightforward imaging technique which includes a sensitivity that rises about 90%, its utilization to identify rectus sheath hematoma can reduce the rate of CT imaging and time to diagnosis for this pathology.