A Guide to Point of Care Ultrasound Lung and IVC Examination of a Volume Overloaded Patient

Authors

Michael Dong, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Frances Mae West, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Jonathan Foster, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Rebecca Davis, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Jillian Cooper, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Abstract

A patient presents with dyspnea, hypoxia, and lower extremity edema. Their history is notable for recent high salt intake and non-compliance with diuretics, and their lungs have rales bilaterally. Clinically, we can diagnose a heart failure exacerbation with pulmonary edema. However, we often rely on X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging to support the clinical diagnosis and explore the etiology of the hypoxia and dyspnea to narrow the differential. Ultrasound is an effective modality for identifying pulmonary edema and pleural effusions while at the same time ruling out other etiologies such as pneumonia and pneumothorax. With bedside point of care ultrasound (POCUS), there is no radiation risk and no delay in obtaining imaging. A systematic review and meta-analysis study by Maw et al. published in 2019 found that lung ultrasound diagnosis of pulmonary edema in the setting of clinical suspicion for acute decompensated heart failure had a pooled sensitivity of 0.88 and specificity of 0.9, which is superior to X-ray imaging which demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 0.73 and a pooled specificity of 0.9.¹

Recommended Citation

Dong, MD, Michael; West, MD, Frances Mae; Foster, MD, Jonathan; Davis, MD, Rebecca; and Cooper, MD, Jillian (2023) "A Guide to Point of Care Ultrasound Lung and IVC Examination of a Volume Overloaded Patient," The Medicine Forum: Vol. 24, Article 15.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29046/TMF.024.1.014
Available at: https://jdc.jefferson.edu/tmf/vol24/iss1/15