Abstract
Since the advent of portable ultrasonography machines, many providers, including intensivists
and pulmonologists, have been trained in point-of-care ultrasonography. When point-of-care
ultrasonography is performed with focused clinical question and goal in mind, it serves
as a valuable adjunct to physical examination and facilitates patient care and disease
management. Its clinical application is now wider than that of a stethoscope in the
intensive care unit where the noise level is high. In this review article, crucial
ultrasonographic findings, their clinical implication, and their limitations are discussed
in the most commonly targeted organ systems: cardiac, thoracic, abdominal, and vascular.
In addition, recent studies on the use of multiorgan system point-of-care ultrasonography
in diagnoses and management of acutely ill patients are described. As new clinical
applications have been identified, a conventional approach to the critical illness
must be modified to a new approach that incorporates ultrasonographic information.
Clinicians should not only be trained in image acquisition and interpretation but
also be up to date on the new ultrasonography-guided diagnosis, therapy, and management.
Keywords
critical illness - ultrasonography - echocardiography - Point-of-Care Ultrasonography
