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.
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.
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!