This is a fun 10 minutes video explaining the RUSH (Rapid Ultrasound in SHock) exam. I prefer to call it the HIMAP exam because the exam is hoping to make the MAP (mean arterial pressure) HIgher. The video has examples of pathology as well.
Category: Heart/IVC
Does this patient have a pericardial effusion?
After determining LV function, the next question to ask with bedside cardiac ultrasound is: Does the patient have a pericardial effusion? 5minsono video here. Remember to keep this in clinical context. A small effusion is unlikely to hemodynamically important but certainly could help point towards a diagnosis of pericarditis in the appropriate patient.
How is the cardiac function in this patient?
Bedside ultrasound assessment is aimed at two simple questions. The first and most obvious is this – What is the LV function? 5minsono video here. The main goal should be categorizing the function (qualitatively) into one of five groups: hyperdynamic, normal, moderately depressed, severely depressed, dead. The other question is: Does the patient have a pericardial effusion? 5minsono video here.
How to perform cardiac ultrasound.
Cardiac ultrasound is one of the more complicated aspects of bedside ultrasound in that hearts are often in different orientations in different patients. 10 minute video on performing cardiac ultrasound here.