Showing 20 results for "Thoracic"
Acute Chest Syndrome in Pediatric Patients
Do we still need the chest xray?
By Michael Prats, MD on 04/10/17 02:00 AM
Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a feared complication of patients with sickle cell disease. Usually, whenever there is clinical concern for ACS, the first step is obtaining a chest xray. In an effort to reduce radiation to our vulnerable youth, this study examines the accuracy of point of care lung ultrasound in making the diagnosis compared to the chest xray.
Comparison of Four views versus Single View for Pneumothorax
Clinically significant pneumothorax that is
By Michael Prats, MD on 11/07/16 03:00 AM
Ultrasound is great at diagnosing pneumothorax. This is especially important in the trauma patient, where it has become integrated into the extended FAST exam. I think we are all wondering if we can (safely) get away with a quick look in a single space bilaterally to rule out a significant pneumothorax. This study prospectively evaluates this question to determine how well 1 view compares to 4 views in finding a pneumothorax in the trauma patient.
Ultrasound in Pediatric Pneumonia
Replacing the chest xray?
By Michael Prats, MD on 10/10/16 04:00 AM
This study looks at how well point of care ultrasound performs in the evaluation for pneumonia in a pediatric emergency department. Two study arms were compared - an ultrasound first approach, in which patients did not necessarily require a chest xray, and a chest xray first approach, followed by an ultrasound. The authors hypothesized that using ultrasound could reduce the number of chest xrays needed. They performed follow up to see if there was any difference in return visits or antibiotic prescriptions. Impressive results followed!