Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Critical Care and Emergency Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) includes the acquisition, interpretation, and immediate clinical evaluation of diagnostic results performed by a physician at the patient’s bedside. Cardiac and pulmonary pathologies, the examination of abdominal organs, identification and evaluation of effusions, free fluids and air, pneumothorax, location of indwelling medical devices or any acute instability are clear and usual indications for POCUS examination of the acutely or critically ill. Easier access to portable devices combined with the extensive training of physicians lead to a revolutionary increase in its bedside use on intensive care units. The term “critical care ultrasonography” has been introduced and defined as a bedside diagnostic or guiding procedure performed and interpreted by the intensivist, consisting of general critical care ultrasonography (thoracic, abdominal, and vascular) and echocardiography (basic and advanced). The POCUS can be used as a fast and reliable diagnostic tool that narrows differential diagnosis in acute instable patients and guides emergency medical procedures. In cardiac arrest, POCUS can be immeasurably helpful in ruling out reversible causes, leading to adapted and immediate therapy.

Revolutionary use of POCUS in lung investigation, diverse laboratory tests primarily for COVID-19 diagnosis but also for the early recognition of potentially fatal complications and their prevention, is increasing and should be properly addressed. As the bedside diagnostics are rapidly emerging as an important and irreplaceable tool in the hands of intensive care physicians, the main goal of this Special Issue is to update and summarize diverse POCUS diagnostic approaches in the care of patients.

The present Special Issue on “Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Critical Care and Emergency medicine” welcomes the submission of work related to the most recent developments of POCUS in research and practice. We invite all researchers of associated disciplines who focus on the use of bedside ultrasonography to submit original articles or reviews in their area of expertise, enhancing the multidisciplinarity of modern medicine.

Dr. Sasa Rajsic
Guest Editor

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