Added Diagnostic Value of Point of Care Ultrasound in Acute Dyspnea: a Prospective Observational Study
Dyspnea is a common diagnostic challenge in the Emergency Department (ED). Delay in diagnosis will increase time to correct treatment and could impact outcome. Previous studies have shown excellent diagnostic performance of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to detect and differentiate between several important diagnosis (e.g heart failure and pneumonia) in patients with dyspnea. However, in most studies POCUS is performed by physicians highly experienced in ultrasound and often studies have focused only on one or few diagnoses. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of different diagnosis in dyspnoeic patients before and after a ED physician with limited training applies POCUS.
⁃ Adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department within the highest or second highest triage category and any of the following
• Presenting with shortness of breath
• Oxygen saturation less than 90 % on room air
• Respiratory rate more than 25 breaths per minute and oxygen saturation less than 95 % on room air