Background: Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a real-time, diagnostic modality increasingly utilized by clinicians at bedside to obtain critical, potentially life-saving information. The benefits of becoming familiar and facile with POCUS have become so clear in recent years that numerous residency programs across specialties have intentionally incorporated ultrasound-focused education into their standard curricula. Furthermore, some medical […]

Background: Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) expediently detects the pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and is predictive of patient outcomes. Although lung POCUS can be used in the diagnosis and management of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, there are no standardized scanning protocols. Furthermore, it is not known how much scanning is needed to sufficiently rule-in the pulmonary […]

Background: The role of bedside ultrasound to evaluate traumatic cardiac injury and aortic aneurysm rupture is well established. However, there is a lack of robust data to support the accuracy of use of immediate ultrasonography procedures at the point of care to detect other cardiovascular conditions. Aim of this umbrella meta-analysis was to evaluate a […]

Background: Central venous catheters (CVC), including temporary dialysis catheters, are a relatively frequent procedure needed in the inpatient setting. Historically in our institution, CVC have been placed in the intensive care unit (ICU) by critical care staff or in the radiology suite by interventional radiology staff. The reasons for this placement preference have included the […]

Background: Cirrhosis was the fifteenth leading cause of death in the United States in 2019, with ascites being the most common major complication leading to hospital admission. Patients with ascites have recurrent hospital admissions with disproportionate use of hospital resources. Large volume abdominal paracentesis can be done safely by trained providers and is associated with […]

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a growing interest in pediatric hospital medicine, however few Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) fellowships incorporate POCUS training formally into their curriculum. In addition to its ability to expedite care, POCUS can improve the ability of pediatric hospitalists to take care of patients in resource-limited settings or when specialists are not […]

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is being adopted by hospitalists and internal medicine (IM) residencies due to its impact on procedural safety, diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, provider and patient satisfaction, and its role as a teaching adjunct in medical education. Studies demonstrating impact on system efficiency and cost are few and mostly limited to the emergency […]

Background: Lumbar punctures are an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool for internists. While rates of major complications are low, success rates in the literature are widely variable and dependent on patient body habitus, patient positioning, operator experience, and use of ultrasound guidance.1 Many trainees report discomfort with their skill in performing and supervising bedside procedures, […]

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training was recently endorsed by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (1) and the demand for training is increasing among internal medicine (IM) residency programs (2). Longitudinal POCUS training increases knowledge and skill retention compared to stand-alone workshops (3,4), but few programs currently provide longitudinal training due to institutional barriers, such […]

Background: Pulmonary B-lines are a highly sensitive sonographic sign of pulmonary edema in patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) (3). When found prior to discharge, this finding has been shown to accurately predict re-admission and mortality on short term follow up (4,5,6). Inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility can be used as a […]