Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Malar J 2018 Dec 4;17(1):448. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Malaria Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Background: Plasmodium knowlesi, a malaria parasite typically found in long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, is the most common cause of human malaria in Malaysian Borneo. Infections in humans result in a spectrum of disease, including fatal outcomes. Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare, but severe complication of malaria and has not been reported previously for knowlesi malaria. Read More

Cureus 2018 Sep 17;10(9):e3320. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

Emergency Medicine, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, CAN.

Introduction Self-directed learning in medical professions is established as an effective method of training in certain modalities. Furthermore, simulation technology is becoming widely used and accepted as a valid method of training for various medical skills, with ultrasound being one of the best studied. The use of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in the practice of emergency medicine is well established, and PoCUS is a core competency of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada emergency medicine standards. Read More

Crit Ultrasound J 2018 Nov 23;10(1):31. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Anesthesiology and Critical Care Department, Toulouse University Hospital, University Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.

Background: Right iliac fossa abdominal pain is a common reason for emergency ward admissions, its etiology is difficult to diagnose. It can be facilitated by an imaging examination, such as a Computerized Tomography scan which exposes the patient to ionizing radiation and implies delays. A bedside ultrasound performed by emergency physicians could avoid these issues. Read More

Trauma Surg Acute Care Open 2018 1;3(1):e000165. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Memorial Hermann Hospital Red Duke Trauma Institute, Houston, Texas, USA.

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has become an increasingly popular alternative to emergency thoracotomy and aortic cross-clamping in patients with exsanguinating hemorrhage.1 This new capability is increasingly being used in non-trauma situations.2 3 This report demonstrates another novel use of REBOA for iatrogenic intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Read More

Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed 2018 11 9;113(8):638-648. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Sektion Interdisziplinäre Intensivmedizin, Sana Kliniken Lübeck GmbH, Kronsforder Allee 71-73, 23560, Lübeck, Deutschland.

Point-of-care ultrasound is a fundamental part of diagnostic and therapeutic management in emergency and intensive care medicine. The availability of high-resolution mobile ultrasound systems allows high-quality imaging at the bedside of the patient. Point-of-care ultrasound is not a comprehensive differential diagnostic abdominal ultrasound examination. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2018 Aug 29;2018. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Emergency Medicine, Logan Hospital, Meadowbrook, Queensland, Australia.

A 34-year-old woman presented to hospital in shock 8 hours after a spontaneous home vaginal delivery. She is a known carrier of haemophilia A. Examination revealed a tender but firm, central and contracted uterus. Read More

Biomed Eng Online 2018 Jul 13;17(1):95. Epub 2018 Jul 13.

Department of Urology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.

Background: Continuous non-invasive urinary bladder volume measurement (cystovolumetry) would allow better management of urinary tract disease. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) represents a promising method to overcome the limitations of non-continuous ultrasound measurements. The aim of this study was to compare the measurement accuracy of EIT to standard ultrasound in healthy volunteers. Read More

Eur J Pediatr 2018 Oct 3;177(10):1459-1470. Epub 2018 Jul 3.

Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a versatile imaging modality that improves the diagnostic potential of conventional ultrasound. It allows for portable imaging at the bedside. In this paper, we illustrate how CEUS can be used in evaluating several focal lesions in the pediatric population, including liver hemangioma, telangiectasias, splenic hamartomas, and bladder lesions. Read More

Oman Med J 2018 Mar;33(2):171-175

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dubai Hospital, Dubai, UAE.

Abdominal pregnancy is a rare, life-threatening condition defined as pregnancy in the peritoneal cavity exclusive of tubal, ovarian, or intraligamentary locations. It can be primarily located in the peritoneal cavity or secondary to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy or tubal abortion. We present two cases of abdominal pregnancy, one primary and another secondary, both diagnosed and successfully managed in our institution. Read More

Perfusion 2018 09 12;33(6):438-444. Epub 2018 Mar 12.

1 Department of Intensive Care, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.

Introduction: Comprehensive clinical examination can be compromised in patients on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Adjunctive diagnostic imaging strategies range from bedside imaging only to routine computed tomography (CT). The risk-benefit of either approach remains to be evaluated. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2018 Feb 6;143(3):161-164. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Klinik III für Innere Medizin, Herzzentrum, Universität zu Köln, Köln.

The use of Point-of-care ultrasonography (POC Ultrasonography) is getting more and more important in the bedside care of patients, especially in emergency- and intensive care units. In addition to the focused sonography of the heart, lungs and abdomen, the POC Ultrasonography recently includes also cases in prehospital care. Increasingly special applications in intensive care, e. Read More

Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther 2018 5;50(1):40-48. Epub 2018 Jan 5.

Obstetric Intensive Care Unit Coordinator of the Mexico´s General Hospital Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City, Mexico.

There is currently a lack of universally accepted criteria for gastrointestinal (GI) failure or dysfunction in critical care. Moreover, the clinical assessment of intestinal function is notoriously difficult and thus often goes unrecognized, contributing to poor outcomes. A recent grading system has been proposed to define acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) in conjunction with other organ function scores (e. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2017 Dec 13;2017. Epub 2017 Dec 13.

Department of Radiology, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Scunthorpe, UK.

Colorectal foreign bodies (FBs) are not unheard of in the province of surgery. They are commonly seen in men ranging from 20 to 90 years of age with a bimodal age distribution. A variety of objects have been described and reported in literature. Read More

Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed 2017 Nov 23;112(8):741-758. Epub 2017 Oct 23.

Klinik III für Innere Medizin, Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland.

The so-called point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is of increasing importance for diagnostics and therapy control in intensive care medicine. Based on focused thorax sonography, echocardiography, and abdominal sonography, the most important working and differential diagnoses can be demonstrated or excluded depending on the leading symptom. Sonographic-based algorithms allow a structured evaluation especially of patients with the common leading symptoms dyspnea and thoracic pain. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2017 Aug 7;2017. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA.

Atraumatic rupture of the normal spleen is a rare entity. Often, a triggering factor or minor physical event can be ascribed as the aetiology for rupture, including coughing, vomiting or minor medical procedures not involving the spleen. A 65-year-old man who was hospitalised for eosinophilic pneumonia developed haemodynamically unstable atrial flutter that necessitated urgent synchronised direct current cardioversion (DCCV). Read More

Neonatology 2017 14;112(3):238-245. Epub 2017 Jul 14.

Division of Neonatology, University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain.

Background: The therapeutic decision to close patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants entails great uncertainty. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a noninvasive bedside technique used to monitor mixed regional oxygen saturation. We hypothesized that near-infrared spectroscopy could identify preterm infants at risk of mesenteric hypoperfusion associated with hemodynamically significant ductus arteriosus. Read More

Surgery 2017 08 24;162(2):377-384. Epub 2017 May 24.

Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Burn, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH. Electronic address:

Background: Age-related loss of muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) is linked to poor outcomes after operation and trauma. Here we evaluate computed tomography measured psoas muscle density and area using quick and simple tools available to the bedside clinician. We hypothesize these measures will predict poor outcomes after blunt traumatic injury. Read More

J Ultrasound Med 2017 Jun 28;36(6):1195-1202. Epub 2017 Feb 28.

Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Health Trust, Levanger, Norway.

Objectives: We aimed to study the feasibility and diagnostic performance of bedside ultrasound by examination of the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and abdominal aorta performed by medical residents with limited experience in ultrasound, on emergency admissions using pocket-sized imaging devices (PSIDs).

Methods: A total of 199 patients admitted acutely to the medical department at the non-university Levanger Hospital, Norway, during the period from April 4 to June 23, 2011, were consecutively included. Six medical residents, selected by drawing, examined these patients with a PSID at admission. Read More

Indian J Gastroenterol 2017 Jan 9;36(1):43-49. Epub 2017 Feb 9.

Sri Ramachandra Medical College, 1, Ramachandra Nagar, Porur, Chennai, 600 116, India.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is a disease with variable outcome; the course of the disease can be modified by early aggressive management in patients with severe pancreatitis. Easily calculable pancreatic scores and investigations can help to triage these patients. We aimed to determine the role of bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP), harmless acute pancreatitis score (HAPS), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) scores on day of admission and C-reactive protein (CRP) at 48 h for predicting the presence of pancreatic fluid collection (PFC) and necrosis on CT scans done at 72 h. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2017 Jun 15;35(6):935.e5-935.e8. Epub 2016 Dec 15.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Madigan Army Medical Center, 9040 Jackson Ave., Tacoma, WA 98431, USA.

Case Presentation: A pregnant woman at 22+5/7weeks gestation presented to the emergency department (ED) from an outpatient clinic, hypotensive after experiencing a syncopal episode. On arrival to the ER she was tachycardic, tachypneic and complaining of abdominal pain. A bedside FAST was performed and noted free fluid in the abdomen. Read More

J Emerg Med 2017 Apr 18;52(4):e101-e104. Epub 2016 Dec 18.

Department of Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York.

Background: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurs when ovaries are overstimulated and enlarged due to fertility treatments resulting in a shift of serum from the intravascular space to the third space, mainly the abdominal cavity. It is the most serious complication of ovarian hyperstimulation for assisted reproduction.

Case Report: We present the case of a 40-year-old woman who presented with abdominal bloating and nausea 2 weeks after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF); she was diagnosed by an outside radiology ultrasound as having a ruptured ovarian cyst. Read More

Brain Dev 2017 Apr 14;39(4):356-360. Epub 2016 Nov 14.

Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University, Faculty of Medicine, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Aichi Medical University, Japan. Electronic address:

The outcome of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is favorable whether or not specific treatment is performed. We report a patient with MERS treated with methylprednisolone, complicated by gastric perforation followed by critical illness polyneuropathy. The patient was a 14-year-old male with mildly impaired consciousness and hyponatremia who was treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Read More

Surg Endosc 2017 04 23;31(4):1947-1951. Epub 2016 Aug 23.

Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 800 Rose Street, UKMC C-222, Lexington, KY, 40536-0298, USA.

Background: To provide adequate workspace between the viscera and abdominal wall, insufflation with carbon dioxide is a common practice in laparoscopic surgeries. An insufflation pressure of 15 mmHg is considered to be safe in patients, but all insufflation pressures create perioperative and postoperative physiologic effects. As a composition of viscoelastic materials, the abdominal wall should distend in a predictable manner given the pressure of the pneumoperitoneum. Read More

Injury 2016 Oct 2;47(10):2110-2116. Epub 2016 Jul 2.

First Department of Orthopaedics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, ATTIKON University Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address:

Holistic ultrasound is a total body examination using an ultrasound device aiming to achieve immediate patient care and decision making. In the setting of trauma, it is one of the most fundamental components of care of the injured patients. Ground-breaking imaging software allows physicians to examine various organs thoroughly, recognize imaging signs early, and potentially foresee the onset or the possible outcome of certain types of injuries. Read More

Emerg (Tehran) 2016 ;4(2):101-5

Department of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington DC, USA.

Early detection of free air in the peritoneal cavity is vital in diagnosis of life-threatening emergencies, and can play a significant role in expediting treatment. We present a series of cases in which bedside ultrasound (US) in the emergency department accurately identified evidence of free intra-peritoneal air and echogenic (dirty) free fluid consistent with a surgical final diagnosis of a perforated hollow viscus. In all patients with suspected perforated viscus, clinicians were able to accurately identify the signs of pneumoperitoneum including enhanced peritoneal stripe sign (EPSS), peritoneal stripe reverberations, and focal air collections associated with dirty shadowing or distal multiple reflections as ring down artifacts. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2016 May 29;10(1):132. Epub 2016 May 29.

Department of Traumatology, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Nydalen Postbox 4956, N-0424, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Life-threatening bleeding caused by liver injury due to chest compressions is a rare complication in otherwise successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Surgical intervention has been suggested to achieve bleeding control; however, reported mortality is high. In this report, we present a brief literature review and a case report in which use of a less invasive strategy was followed by an uneventful recovery. Read More

Clin Chest Med 2016 06 3;37(2):299-307. Epub 2016 Mar 3.

Intensive Care Unit, Section Thorax-Vascular Diseases-Abdomen-Metabolism, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, AP-HP, University Hospital Ambroise Paré, 9 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Boulogne Billancourt 92104, France; Faculté de Médecine Paris Ile de France Ouest, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles 78000, France; INSERM U-1018, CESP, Team 5 (EpReC, Renal and Cardiovascular Epidemiology), UVSQ, Villejuif 94807, France. Electronic address:

Echocardiography is a noninvasive and accurate tool used in the intensive care unit to assess cardiac function and monitor hemodynamics in shocked patients. During severe sepsis or septic shock, several mechanisms can lead to hemodynamic failure and have to be quickly and precisely diagnosed to propose adequate, personalized, and timely hemodynamic therapy. Echocardiography truly provides intensivists with this diagnostic possibility, whether or not there is fluid responsiveness, cardiac dysfunction, or persistent vasoplegia. Read More

Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 2017 Jan;28(1):107-111

aEmergency Department, Hospital of Val d'Arda, Piacenza bDepartment of Internal medicine, Civil Hospital, Livorno cDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.

It is well known that a number of patients affected by hemodynamic stable pulmonary embolism are admitted to the emergency department presenting chest pain without further symptoms of pulmonary embolism, such as dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, syncope, and tachycardia, but in a few cases, the presenting symptoms are even more unusual. The gold standard for pulmonary embolism diagnosis is computed tomography pulmonary angiogram resulting in significant exposure to ionizing radiation and contrast, but recently bedside ultrasound has shown to be useful in diagnosing pulmonary embolism in the emergency department. We describe two cases of pulmonary embolism in young men evaluated in the emergency department for acute pain of the upper abdomen, preliminarily diagnosed as abdominal colic, in which bedside ultrasound ruled out abdominal diseases and showed basal pulmonary abnormalities consistent with infarction, suggesting the need of diagnostic completion with computed tomography pulmonary angiogram. Read More

J Surg Educ 2016 Mar-Apr;73(2):208-14

Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington DC.

Objective: To examine the effects of an experiential learning model of ultrasound training on preclinical medical students' knowledge and practice of Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examination.

Methods: The study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase 1, first- and second-year medical students participated in a 45-minute didactic presentation and subsequent 1-hour hands-on practice followed by 3-5 precepted FAST examinations in the emergency department. Read More

Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther 2015 18;47(5):471-81. Epub 2015 Nov 18.

Department of Intensive Care and High Care Burn Unit, Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen.

The use of ultrasound has gained its place in critical care as part of our day-to-day monitoring tools. A better understanding of ultrasound techniques and recent publications including protocols for the lungs, the abdomen and the blood vessels has introduced ultrasound to the bedside of our ICU patients. However, we will prove in this paper that early machines, dating back more than 25 years, were perfectly able to do the job as compared to modern laptop machines with more features but few additional advantages. Read More

J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2016 Feb;80(2):229-36

From the Department of Surgery (C.D.B., A.C., E.F., C.C.G., M.F.E., R.M., A.G., C.J.H.), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School; and Department of Applied Mathematics (G.G.), Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are important sources of morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and readmissions, so they have become a major economic burden. We hypothesized that surgical wound assessment by sonography (SWATS) used at the bedside would detect wound fluid collections and that the presence of such collections would predict SSI better than standard clinical examination. If so, SWATS might be used to indicate early intervention that could prevent SSI morbidity. Read More

Crit Care Med 2015 Nov;43(11):2479-502

1Los Angeles, CA. 2Foothills Medical Centre and the University of Calgary, Calgary, AL, Canada. 3National and Gulf Center for Evidence Based Health Practice, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 4King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 5Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. 6Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Francis Hospital, Columbus, GA. 7Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. 8Department of Emergency Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA. 9Aerospace and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. 10President and CEO, Renown Health, Reno, NV. 11Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of the Sarrland, Homburg-Saar, Germany. 12Clinics of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, Hospital of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. 13Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom. 14Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. 15Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Objective: To establish evidence-based guidelines for the use of bedside ultrasound by intensivists and specialists in the ICU and equivalent care sites for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes for organs of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, neck, and extremities.

Methods: The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to determine the strength of recommendations as either strong or conditional/weak and to rank the "levels" of quality of evidence into high (A), moderate (B), or low (C) and thus generating six "grades" of recommendation (1A-1B-1C-2A-2B-2C). Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used for all questions with clinically relevant outcomes. Read More

Radiology 2015 Oct;277(1):298-302

From the Department of Radiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Suite M-335, Los Angeles, CA 90048.

History A 56-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after a cross-country flight. While in flight, she experienced sudden onset of epigastric and midsternal chest pain with shortness of breath. Her symptoms improved markedly after she received oxygen on board, and she finished the flight without further incident. Read More

Praxis (Bern 1994) 2015 Sep;104(19):1005-12

3 Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.

The clinical use of pocket size ultrasound devices is still at an early stage. Its performance has been studied and proven in cardiology, gynecology, and gastroenterology. It is expected that the image quality will improve and that more techniques for miniaturized devices will be available in the near future. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2016 Aug;48(2):224-31

Department of Surgical Sciences, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that fetal abdominal circumference (AC) and uterine artery (UtA) Doppler pulsatility index (PI) could be used to select two homogeneous subgroups of women affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), characterized by the coexistence of maternal hypertension with and without intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study of cases affected by HDP in whom fetal AC and UtA-PI had been measured at admission to fetomaternal medicine units. Maternal characteristics, pregnancy complications and outcome were recorded. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2016 Mar 29;34(3):684.e3-4. Epub 2015 Jul 29.

Maimonides Medical Center, New York, NY 11219.

Am J Surg 2016 Jan 31;211(1):40-5. Epub 2015 Jul 31.

Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Background: Clinicians are increasingly using point-of-care ultrasonography for bedside examinations of patients. However, proper training is needed in this technique, and it is unknown whether the skills learned from focused Ultrasonography courses are being transferred to diagnostic performance on patients.

Methods: Thirty-one physicians were randomized to participate in a focused Ultrasonography course or control circumstances before they examined 4 patients with different abdominal conditions by ultrasonography. Read More

PLoS One 2015 31;10(8):e0136105. Epub 2015 Aug 31.

Department of Gastroenterology, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands.

Background And Aims: To prospectively examine the feasibility and accuracy of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the assessment of Crohn's disease (CD) activity in the terminal ileum in comparison to Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE), using endoscopy as a reference standard.

Methods: 105 consecutive patients with alleged clinically active CD were assessed by MRE and CEUS. CEUS of the terminal ileum was performed using an intravenous microbubble contrast enhancer. Read More

J Ultrasound Med 2015 Aug;34(8):1429-34

Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts USA (K.M.O.); and Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona USA (L.A.S., R.A., A.G., U.S., S.A.).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and predominant location of isolated free fluid in the left upper quadrant (LUQ) on focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) examinations of adult patients with trauma presenting to the emergency department.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of adult patients with positive FAST results for free fluid in the abdomen at 2 academic emergency departments. Eligible FAST examinations were reviewed for the presence of fluid in the LUQ and exact location of free fluid within the LUQ. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2015 Jul 21;2015. Epub 2015 Jul 21.

Department of Surgery, Zuoying Branch of Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

De Garengeot hernia is a rare clinical entity defined as the presence of a vermiform appendix within a femoral hernia sac. A 50-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a painful lump over her right groin region. A bedside ultrasound was performed and soft tissue lesion was suspected. Read More

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2016 Feb 7;63(2):260-8. Epub 2015 Jul 7.

Goal: We present a novel "pick-up" ultrasound transducer for intraabdominal robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Such a "pick-up" ultrasound transducer is inserted through an abdominal incision at the beginning of the procedure and remains in the abdominal cavity throughout, eliminating the need for a dedicated port or a patient bedside surgical assistant. The transducer has a handle that can be grasped in a repeatable manner using a da Vinci Prograsp tool, allowing the transducer to be accurately manipulated by the surgeon using the da Vinci Robot. Read More

Clin Nucl Med 2015 Sep;40(9):e436-40

From the *Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, Linz General Hospital, Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria; †Department of Dermatology, Linz General Hospital, Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria; ‡2nd Surgical Department, Linz General Hospital, Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria; §Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Linz General Hospital, Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria; ∥Department of Radiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; ¶Nuclear Medicine & PET/CT Centre, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Rovigo, Italy; and **University Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.

Introduction: Patients with invasive malignant melanoma are commonly referred for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection. A recently proposed 3D tomographic imaging modality is freehand SPECT (declipseSPECT). This "bedside system" was originally developed to enable minimal-invasive image-guided surgery. Read More

J Ultrasound Med 2015 May;34(5):823-8

Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, Los Angeles, California USA (E.E.T., M.R.); Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California USA (J.C.F., C.A.); University of California, Irvine, California USA (A.A.); and University of California, Santa Barbara, California USA (S.R.).

Objectives: This study assessed a curriculum for bedside ultrasound (US) and compared outcomes from 2 common training pathways.

Methods: The program consisted of e-learning paired with expert-led hands-on training administered to pulmonary/critical care and cardiology fellows with no prior formal training in bedside US. This "simulation-based learner" group completed a survey of attitudes and confidence before and after training, and knowledge and skills were assessed after training. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2015 Mar 18;2015. Epub 2015 Mar 18.

Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.

We report a case of a 68-year-old man who was admitted to the department of cardiology with increasing abdominal and chest pain during the day. The prehospital ECG showed clear ST segment elevation in inferior leads. The patient was routed directly to the catheterisation laboratory with acute myocardial infarction as a tentative diagnosis. Read More

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2014 ;2014:2890-4

Due to recent technical advancements of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging systems, applications of this imaging modality have been expanding from the fetal imaging to cardiac- and abdominal-diagnosis. Among all internal organs, diagnosing the kidney has a paramount importance for rapid bedside treatment of trauma and kidney stone patients using ultrasound images. Although three-dimensional ultrasound provides higher level of structural information of kidneys, manual kidney diagnosis using three-dimensional ultrasound images requires a highly trained medical staff, due to the extensive visual complexity which three-dimensional images contain. Read More

Semergen 2016 Jul-Aug;42(5):315-9. Epub 2014 Dec 1.

Ecografía, Hospital Perpetuo Socorro, AR Ecografía, Vigo, España.

Ultrasound has recently become an indispensable tool for the family physician, whether exercised in primary care and emergency department; and likewise it has spread to many other specialties: internal medicine, critical care, neurology, pneumology, digestive, etc. and that ultrasound has proven to be a safe diagnostic tool and have great capacity. We firmly believe that ultrasound done to «bedside» the patient by the family doctor, can greatly complement the physical examination and greatly improve clinical effectiveness, allowing the browser an immediate view of the anatomy and physiology of certain structures. Read More

Radiol Med 2015 Jan;120(1):73-84

Department of Radiology, A. Cardarelli Hospital, 80131, Naples, Italy.

US has a relevant role in the initial assessment of non-traumatic emergencies of the abdomen, sometimes being conclusive and some other times for selecting the patients for further imaging with CT. Injection of a contrast medium may give to the radiologist additional information to that obtained at baseline US and Doppler examination, since real-time, contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) may allow observing findings in the abdomen not recognizable at baseline US or even at color Doppler imaging. Extravascular use of microbubbles may also be useful in clinical practice to rapidly solve a number of unclear aspects. Read More

Gastrointest Endosc 2015 May 18;81(5):1268-9. Epub 2014 Nov 18.

Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, New Hyde Park, New York, USA.

Crit Care Clin 2015 Jan 3;31(1):43-66. Epub 2014 Oct 3.

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine, 410 Lakeville Road, Suite 107, New Hyde Park, NY 11042, USA.

Critical care ultrasonography is a bedside technique performed by the frontline clinician at the point of care. Point-of-care ultrasonography is conceptually related to physical examination. The intensivist uses visual assessment, auscultation, and palpation on an ongoing basis to monitor the patient. Read More

Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther 2014 Nov-Dec;46(5):319-22

Critical care ultrasonography (CCUS) has been defined as an ultrasound evaluation of the heart, abdomen, pleura and lungs at the bedside by the intensivist, 24/7. Within CCUS, critical care echocardiography (CCE) is used to assess cardiac function and more generally haemodynamics. Experts in haemodynamics have published a 'consensus of 16' regarding an update on haemodynamic monitoring. Read More