Prognostic Value of Right Ventricular Dysfunction Markers for Serious Adverse Events in Acute Normotensive Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in pulmonary embolism (PE) has been associated with increased morbidity. Tools for RVD identification are not well defined. The prognostic value of RVD markers to predict serious adverse events (SAE) during hospitalization is unclear.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Right Ventricular Dysfunction Markers in Normotensive Emergency Department Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism.

Study Objective: We determine the diagnostic accuracy of goal-directed echocardiography, cardiac biomarkers, and computed tomography (CT) in early identification of severe right ventricular dysfunction in normotensive emergency department patients with pulmonary embolism compared with comprehensive echocardiography.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study of consecutive normotensive patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism. Investigators, blinded to clot burden and biomarkers, performed qualitative goal-directed echocardiography for right ventricular dysfunction: right ventricular enlargement (diameter greater than or equal to that of the left ventricle), severe right ventricular systolic dysfunction, and septal bowing.

Typhoid intestinal perforation: Point-of-care ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in a rural Ugandan Hospital.

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in resource-limited areas has demonstrated utility in the hands of physicians and may be useful for non-physician providers to learn as well.

Case Report: An 11 year old male presented with abdominal pain and diffuse abdominal tenderness to a remote Emergency Centre (EC). An Emergency Care Practitioner, a non-physician emergency care provider with limited ultrasound training, used bedside ultrasonography and alerted the on-call surgeon of complex intraperitoneal fluid representing perforated typhoid, which expedited the patient's care.