Notfallsonographie

Abstract

Emergency sonography encompasses a number of targeted sonographic investigation techniques, which allow a quick response to frequently occurring situations arising in anesthesiology, including intensive care and emergency medicine. Emergency sonography supports point of care diagnostics to clarify the possible causes of hemodynamic and respiratory instability, e.g. to determine the extent of intra-abdominal bleeding in a still compensated patient with multiple trauma and to support interventions, such as pleural fluid drainage. Important emergency sonographic techniques include focused echocardiography, as well as thoracic and abdominal ultrasound, supplemented by various other applications, e.g in the head and neck region. In comparison to conventional sonographic examination techniques, these techniques are used with reduced examination times and a focussed assessment of specific clinical problems. By means of a few standardized cross-sectional planes, numerous questions can be quickly addressed and therapeutic consequences can be deduced.

The European guideline on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma: fifth edition

“…The FAST examination has developed into a key instrument in the acute evaluation of trauma patients with suspected abdominal and thoraco-abdominal injuries [153]. FAST techniques are being used with reduced examination times and a focused assessment of specific clinical issues using only a few standardised cross-sectional planes [154]. As a rapid and non-invasive diagnostic approach to the detection of haemorrhages in the peritoneal, pleural and pericardial cavities in the emergency department, FAST represents a cornerstone of the primary ATLS survey [153, 155–157].…”

Lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection - A case series and review of the literature

“…The presence of specific (but not pathognomic) abnormalities in the LUS scan, combined with concordant clinical information obtained during the medical and epidemiologic interview, may estimate with a high probability the risk of COVID-19 in the examined patient and customize further treatment [26,27]. Due to the common use of portable ultrasound devices, point of care diagnostics is available at the emergency departments, in the emergency medical services, in GP surgeries, or at a patient's home [28,29]. The advantages of ultrasonography, apart from the possibility of the bedside examination without the necessity of transporting the patient, include non-invasiveness and lack of exposure to X-rays.…”