Malka Stromer – Point of Care Ultrasound Course: Diagnose the Critical Issues Faster!

Outline

Point-of-Care Ultrasound vs Traditional Imaging: What You Need to Know

• Dynamic vs static imaging
• Bilateral comparison
• Differentiation of solid vs fluid
• Sound waves vs radiation

Get Comfortable with the Device

• Determine appropriate transducer and placement/pressure
• What do all the knobs do?
• Gray vs white vs black – Echogenicity of tissue and structures

Image Interpretation and Assessments

• Step-by-step guide for evaluation
• Optimal patient positioning and scanning protocol
• Spot the abnormality!

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)

• Asymptomatic and easy to miss without POCUS
• Prevention – who is most at risk?
• Screening protocol for primary care

Abdominal Trauma

• The ticking time bomb – internal bleeding
• The easy target: liver damage via blunt force trauma
• Frequent source of bleeding: spleen

Hepatobiliary

• Primary culprit of abdominal pain: gallbladder
• Biliary dilation, gallbladder attack

Cardiac and Lung

• Pleural and pericardial effusions
• Cardiac overload
• Collapsed lung

Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis

• Spot the warning signs early: Leg pain, swollen legs
• Catch them before they embolize

Obstetrics – First Trimester

• Is what you’re seeing indicative of normal outcomes?
• Identify embryologic structures
• Ectopic and tubal pregnancies

Forging a new frontier

• Risks and limitations
• When to proceed with additional imaging
• Billing and coding
• Tips for bringing this service into your wheelhouse