ABSTRACT
Clinical Applications • The prim ary applications are well recognized to be within the scope o f emergency
medicine. These emergency indications include the following: • Detection o f hem operitoneum following acute abdominal traum a • Detection o f pericardial effusions/tamponade or cardiac activity in pulseless electri
cal activity • Detection o f abdominal aortic aneurysms • Detection o f live early intrauterine pregnancy in first trimester abdominal pain or
bleeding in rule out ectopic pregnancy algorithms • Detection o f acute hydronephrosis in acute renal colic • Detection o f cholelithiasis
• Secondary applications are increasingly becom ing im portant and include: • Procedural indications including:
• Vascular access-central and peripheral • Paracentesis • Pericardiocentesis • Thoracentesis • Pacemaker placement and capture • Bladder aspiration • Arthrocentesis
• Foreign body detection • Gestational dating and fetal viability • Deep vein thrombosis • Endotracheal tube placement • Abscess detection
Basic Terminology • Acoustic window-organ or tissue that facilitates viewing o f structures beyond it. Acoustic
windows are necessary when imaging certain organs that are less amenable to ultra sound scanning, e.g., heart.
