Why the study?
Most perioperative literature has focused on adults, and little has been published on the perioperative application of focused cardiac ultrasonography for pediatric patients.
Focused cardiac ultrasound is an important but underutilized tool in the pediatric perioperative setting, with barriers including lack of training and understanding of indications.
Training gaps limit FoCUS adoption in pediatric perioperative care; leaves open targeted curricula and prospective outcome studies.
Focused cardiac ultrasonography (FoCUS) has become an important diagnostic tool for acute care physicians. FoCUS allows real-time visualization of the heart and, in combination with the physical examination, acts as a hemodynamic monitor to manage patient care in acute situations. Most of the available perioperative literature has focused on adult patients. Little has been published on the perioperative application of FoCUS for pediatric patients. This article provides an overview of FoCUS used at the bedside by pediatric anesthesiologists. Variations in clinical applications, technical aspects, and interpretation of FoCUS findings in children are described. Discussion of training and competency is included. Barriers to implementation by pediatric intensivists and emergency medicine physicians include a lack of understanding of indications and training opportunities in pediatric FoCUS. It is likely that similar barriers exist in pediatric anesthesiology resulting in underutilization of FoCUS. The use of FoCUS in the pediatric operating room, however, may positively impact care of infants and children and should be encouraged.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Boretsky et al. (2019) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: