FOCUS may detect wall motion abnormalities in patients with ACS.

Background: Chest pain is a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED) with roughly 6 million visits a year. The primary diagnostic modality for the identification of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the electrocardiogram (ECG), which is used to screen for electrocardiographic findings representing acute coronary occlusion. It is known that the ischemia generated by an acutely occluded coronary vessel generates a wall motion abnormality which can be visualized by echocardiogram; however, emergency physician-performed focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) currently does not have a formal role in the diagnosis of OMI within the emergency department.

Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography to Diagnose Dislocated Shoulders: A Prospective Cohort.

Study Objective: Shoulder dislocations are a common injury leading to emergency department presentations. Point-of-care ultrasonography has the potential to reduce radiation and time to diagnosis. We determine the accuracy of a novel point-of-care ultrasonographic technique to diagnose dislocated shoulders.

Can junior emergency physicians use E-point septal separation to accurately estimate left ventricular function in acutely dyspneic patients?

Objectives: The authors determined if E-point septal separation (EPSS) as measured by junior emergency physicians (EPs) correlated with visual estimation of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) by senior EPs and cardiologists in acutely dyspneic patients presenting to an adult emergency department (ED).

Methods: Acutely dyspneic patients were enrolled in a prospective, observational study. EPSS was measured using bedside ultrasonography by junior EPs (PGY 3 and PGY 4 residents) with variable ultrasound experience.

Bedside ultrasound diagnosis of pulmonary contusion.

A 10-year-old boy presented to the emergency department after being struck by a van while crossing the street. He complained of right side chest pain, and a chest radiography was suggestive of pulmonary contusion. The treating physician performed a bedside ultrasound that revealed a right-sided pulmonary contusion that was subsequently confirmed on computed tomography of the thorax.

Bilateral femoral artery aneurysms and bilateral common femoral vein thromboses.

We report the sonographic findings of a patient with bilateral femoral artery aneurysms with concomitant bilateral deep venous thrombosis of the common femoral veins. Femoral arterial aneurysms may be associated with additional arterial aneurysms, and rarely with associated venous thrombosis. Patients presenting with femoral artery aneurysms should undergo a thorough vascular sonographic examination that includes the abdominal aorta, the iliac vessels and the deep venous system of the lower extremity.