Update on point of care ultrasound in the care of the critically ill patient

Abstract

One of the most exciting developments to come to the aid of the critically ill patient in recent years is not new at all, but rather has been repackaged and evolved to a level where point-of-care use by critical care physicians has been made possible. Critical care or point-of-care ultrasound dates back more than twenty years, but has come to prominence in the last 5 years and is spreading quickly. Multiple critical care societies have taken up ultrasound policy and training and one organization has been formed that concentrates only on point-of-care ultrasound in critical settings and interventions. The amount of literature generated on the topic is increasing rapidly and hardly a major clinical journal exists that has not published ultrasound related topics.

Keywords: Critical care; Ultrasound; Point-of-care ultrasound; Resuscitation; Cardiac; Echocardiography