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Ultrasound in the ICU: Nuts and Bolts for Managing the ACS Patient

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Intensive Care for Emergency Surgeons

Part of the book series: Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma ((HTACST))

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Abstract

Acute surgeons are faced with the daunting task of making a diagnosis and treatment plan in situations of limited time, information, and resources in patients with life- and limb-threatening conditions. Adoption of bedside ultrasonography by the clinician, also called point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS), has become an essential part of the practice of acute care surgery. POCUS can identify significant abdominal trauma, differentiate shock states, and identify pneumothorax in a rapid, repeatable, and safe manner. It can also facilitate, speed, and enhance the safety of invasive procedures. Medical students are now being taught ultrasonography skills in their junior years of medical school. Surgical residencies and fellowships are increasingly adopting ultrasound curricula. The quality of ultrasound equipment and images is improving, ease of use is better, and cost of equipment has decreased significantly. Acute surgeons who understand the abilities and limitations of POCUS are better equipped to manage surgical crises.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery, University of California San Diego Health, San Diego, CA, USA

    Jay Doucet

  2. Riverside University Health System, Moreno Valley, CA, USA

    Raul Coimbra

  3. Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, USA

    Raul Coimbra

Authors
  1. Jay Doucet
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  2. Raul Coimbra
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Correspondence to Jay Doucet .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Parma University Hospital, Parma, Italy

    Edoardo Picetti

  2. Division of Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bruno M. Pereira

  3. Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Tarek Razek

  4. Department of Surgery/ Division of Trauma, Burns, Critical and Acute Care, Weill Cornell Medicine/ New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA

    Mayur Narayan

  5. Department of Surgery, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Jeffry L. Kashuk

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Doucet, J., Coimbra, R. (2019). Ultrasound in the ICU: Nuts and Bolts for Managing the ACS Patient. In: Picetti, E., Pereira, B., Razek, T., Narayan, M., Kashuk, J. (eds) Intensive Care for Emergency Surgeons. Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11830-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11830-3_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11829-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11830-3

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