Stories That Inspire Global Impact

Gastric tube confirmation in critical care ensures accurate placement of nasogastric or orogastric tubes, vital for patient safety and effective treatment. Ultrasound provides a non-invasive, rapid method to confirm tube location, reducing risks associated with misplacement like aspiration or delayed medication. Medical professionals leverage bedside ultrasound to visualize the tube's passage in the esophagus and…

Paracentesis in the ICU is a critical, often ultrasound-guided, medical procedure involving the removal of ascetic fluid from the peritoneal cavity. Performed in critical care settings, it's essential for diagnosing and managing conditions like severe ascites due to liver failure, heart failure, or malignancy, which can cause respiratory distress, abdominal pain, and infection. This procedure…

In Critical Care, the Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam is a vital point-of-care ultrasound application for rapidly evaluating critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This non-invasive ultrasound technique identifies free fluid in the abdomen, pericardium, and pleural spaces, often indicative of internal bleeding or effusions. It's crucial for swift…

Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV ECMO) is a life-support technique used in Critical Care for patients with severe respiratory failure. It extracts deoxygenated blood from the venous system, oxygenates it externally via an artificial lung, and returns it to the venous system, bypassing the patient's compromised lungs. This method allows the lungs to rest and…

Veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) is a life-sustaining critical care intervention providing temporary support for severe heart and lung failure. In VA-ECMO, deoxygenated blood is drained from a vein, oxygenated by an external membrane lung, and then returned to an artery, bypassing the heart and lungs. This mechanical circulatory support allows these organs to rest and recover.…

In critical care, hemodynamic monitoring is the continuous assessment of a patient's cardiovascular system to evaluate blood flow, pressure, and oxygen delivery. This vital process uses various tools, from non-invasive blood pressure cuffs to invasive arterial lines and pulmonary artery catheters, providing real-time data on heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance.…

Pericardial tamponade is a life-threatening condition in critical care where excessive fluid accumulates in the pericardial sac, compressing the heart and severely impeding its ability to pump blood. This leads to decreased cardiac output, hypotension, and shock. Rapid diagnosis via point-of-care ultrasound is crucial, revealing diastolic collapse of the right ventricle/atrium and a dilated inferior…

In critical care ultrasound, RV strain in PE refers to the acute right ventricular dysfunction caused by increased afterload due to a pulmonary embolism (PE). This crucial finding indicates the right ventricle is struggling to pump blood against elevated pulmonary pressures, leading to dilation and impaired contractility. Early identification through bedside ultrasound is vital for…

Left Ventricular (LV) dysfunction in Critical Care refers to the impaired ability of the heart's main pumping chamber to effectively pump blood. This critical condition, often assessed via bedside ultrasound, can manifest as systolic dysfunction (reduced ejection of blood) or diastolic dysfunction (impaired filling). Early ultrasound detection is crucial for managing acute heart failure, cardiogenic…