Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) refers to an ultrasound examination performed and interpreted by a clinician at the patient's bedside. POCUS can provide information to supplement the clinical assessment and assist in making diagnoses, performing procedures, and monitoring response to therapy. Unlike conventional ultrasonography, where the images are acquired by a technician and later interpreted by a consultant, POCUS eliminates time delays and can be utilized in resource limited settings. We highlight five commonly overlooked but valuable clinical uses of POCUS that address important problems (identifying obstructive causes of acute kidney injuries, assisting in the assessment of venous thromboembolism, identifying and assessing for the presence and quality of pleural effusions, improving the success and safety of procedures, and guiding heart failure management) commonly encountered in clinical practice.
Patel et al. (Sun,) studied this question.