ATS Seminars: Intensive Care Ultrasound
A series of six articles with accompanying images and video clips illustrating the most common applications of intensive care ultrasound.
Introduction to ATS Seminars: Intensive Care Ultrasound
Intensive Care Ultrasound: I. Physics, Equipment, and Image Quality
Intensive Care Ultrasound: II. Central Vascular Access and Venous Diagnostic Ultrasound
Intensive Care Ultrasound: III. Lung and Pleural Ultrasound for the Intensivist
Intensive Care Ultrasound: IV. Abdominal Ultrasound in Critical Care
Intensive Care Ultrasound: V. Goal-directed Echocardiography
Intensive Care Ultrasound: VI. Fluid Responsiveness and Shock Assessment
Thoracic Ultrasound
Wernecke K, Galanski M, Peters PE, et al. Pneumothorax: Evaluation by ultrasound — Preliminary results. J Thorac Imaging. 1987; 2:76–8. This landmark study is the first description of using ultrasound to diagnose pneumothorax. They found respiratory excursions of the pleura in 20 healthy patients but none in 6 patients with pneumothorax, thus describing the "sliding sign" that is now a key component of bedside ultrasound.
DA Lichtenstein, GA Mezièere. Relevance of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute respiratory failure: the BLUE protocol. Chest 2008; 134:117–125. This observational study of 301 consecutive ICU patients compared a focused lung ultrasound protocol (BLUE) with the discharge diagnosis based on the medical record. They describe mostly favorable sensitivity and specificity, particularly for pulmonary edema (SN 97%, SP 95%), and pneumothorax (SN 88%, 100%). US was performed by highly experienced providers, and the protocol requires familiarity with BLUE-specific nomenclature, raising concerns about generalizability to other settings. The authors emphasize that US can be used rapidly at the bedside, and is useful not in isolation but as an adjunct to current diagnostic strategies.
Mojoli F, Bouhemad B, Mongodi S, et al. Lung ultrasound for critically ill patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019; 199:701-714. Reviews basic lung ultrasound signs and their applications in critical care, including detection and management of pneumothorax, ventilator associated pneumonia, atelectasis, and pleural effusions.
