Point-of-care ultrasound (curriculum)
Updates to Article Attributes
The point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) curriculum is one of our curriculum articles and aims to be a collection of articles that represent the core applications of ultrasonography in a point-of-care setting.
Point-of-care ultrasound refers to ultrasonography which may be simultaneously performed, interpreted and utilised by a health care provider at the time of consultation, in proximity to the patient. The goals and scope are fundamentally different from the traditional sonographer-performed ultrasound, limited to specific clinical questions that narrow a clinician's differentials, guide clinical therapy, and direct consultations and disposition.
While more detailed and complex ultrasonography applications may provide information that is more detailed than PoCUS, have greater anatomic specificity, or identify alternative diagnoses, PoCUS is non-invasive, rapidly deployed and does not entail removal of the patient from their clinical area, e.g. resuscitation suite.
PoCUS consensus statements emphasise engaging consultants early on in work-up, ultimately improving initial diagnostic accuracy, initiation of proper management, and allowing PoCUS to play a complementary role to traditional imaging modalities.
While grouping applications of PoCUS is largely arbitrary, the indications for PoCUS tend to revolve around either the function of an anatomical structure, or a syndrome eliciting interrogation of systems pertaining to the differential diagnosis.
Anatomy
Thorax
Cardiac
- anatomy
- cardiac chambers
-
cardiac valves
- mitral valve
- tricuspid valve
- aortic valve
- pulmonic valve
- key findings
Abdomen
- tubular gastrointestinal organs
- oesophagus
-
stomach
- gastric antrum
- small bowel
- large bowel
- solid gastrointestinal organs
- liver
- biliary tree
- common bile duct
-
gallbladder
- fundus
- body
- neck
-
pancreas
- head
- uncinate process
- neck
- body
- tail
- spleen
- genitourinary
- key findings
- jejunum vs ileum
- gut signature
- peristalsis
- bladder volume
Aorta
- thoracic aorta
-
abdominal aorta
- abdominal aorta branches
- key findings
- aortic annulus
- sinuses of valsalva
- sinotubular junction
Upper and lower Limb
- upper limb
- musculoskeletal
- vessels
- axillary artery
- brachial artery
- radial artery
- ulnar artery
- nerves
- median nerve
- radial nerve
- ulnar nerve
- key findings
Ear, Nose and Throat
- anatomy
- key findings
Ocular
- anatomy
- anterior chamber
- posterior chamber
- crystalline lens
- vitreous body
- retina
- optic nerve
- key findings
Gynaecological
- pelvic viscera
- key findings
Nervous system
- central nervous system
- transcranial doppler
- peripheral nervous system
- brachial plexus
- key findings
Radiological examinations
- cardiac
- lung
- abdomen and thorax
- focussed assessment with sonography in HIV/TB (FASH)
- rapid ultrasound in shock and hypotension
- focussed assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) scan
- pericardiocentesis (ultrasound)
- thoracentesis (ultrasound)
- paracentesis (ultrasound)
- neurovascular
- nerves
- interscalene brachial plexus block
- supraclavicular brachial plexus block
- axillary nerve block
- radial nerve block
- ulnar nerve block
- median nerve block
- vasculature
- central venous access (ultrasound)
- peripheral venous access (ultrasound)
- nerves
Pathology
Thorax
- lungs and airways
- trachea
- malposition of endotracheal tube
- lungs
- alveoli
- shred sign
-
air bronchograms
- dynamic
- static
- fluid bronchogram
- interstitium
- alveoli
- trachea
- pleura
- vessels
- thoracic aorta
- cardiac
- structure
- function
- systolic dysfunction
- wall motion abnormalities
- regional
- global
-
diastolic dysfunction
-
impairedleft atrial pressure- elevated vs normal
-
grade I
- formerly "impaired filling"
-
grade II
- formerly "pseudonormal"
-
grade III
- formerly restrictive filling
pseudonormal-
restrictive fillingreversiblefixed
-
- wall motion abnormalities
- valvular dysfunction
- atrioventricular valves
- tricuspid valve
- mitral valve
- semilunar valves
- pulmonic valve
- aortic valve
- atrioventricular valves
- systolic dysfunction
Abdomen
- gastrointestinal tract
- peritoneal recesses
- right upper quadrant
- liver
- biliary tree
- gallbladder
- pancreas
-
acute pancreatitis
- complications
- chronic pancreatitis
-
acute pancreatitis
- spleen
- renal
Ocular
Male reproductive system
- scrotum
- testicles
- testicular adnexa
Female reproductive system
- acute pelvic pain
- uterus
- gravid
- puerperium
- non-gravid
- adnexa
- ectopic pregnancy
- pregnancy of unknown location
- tubal ectopic pregnancy
- interstitial ectopic pregnancy
- pelvic inflammatory disease
- ectopic pregnancy
- ovaries
- fallopian tubes
Upper and Lower extremities
- venous
-
deep venous thrombosis
- axillary
-
deep venous thrombosis
- musculoskeletal
- upper extremity
- shoulder
- proximal upper extremity
- upper extremity
Soft tissue
- infectious
Physics
-<li>diastolic dysfunction<ul>-<li>impaired filling</li>-<li>pseudonormal</li>-<li>restrictive filling<ul>-<li>reversible </li>-<li>fixed</li>-</ul>- +<li>
- +<a title="Diastolic dysfunction (point of care ultrasound)" href="/articles/diastolic-dysfunction-point-of-care-ultrasound">diastolic dysfunction</a><ul>
- +<li>left atrial pressure<ul><li>elevated vs normal</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>grade I<ul><li>formerly "impaired filling"</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>grade II<ul><li>formerly "pseudonormal"</li></ul>
- +</li>
- +<li>grade III<ul><li>formerly restrictive filling</li></ul>
-<a href="/articles/pneumoperitoneum">pneumoperitoneum</a><ul><li><a title="Peritoneal stripe sign (ultrasound)" href="/articles/peritoneal-stripe-sign-ultrasound">peritoneal stripe sign</a></li></ul>- +<a href="/articles/pneumoperitoneum">pneumoperitoneum</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/peritoneal-stripe-sign-pneumoperitoneum">peritoneal stripe sign</a></li></ul>
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