POCUS Med Ed Profile picture
Jan 12, 2022 11 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Why we #pocus: unexpected complications and daily changes. A thread.

70 year old male presented with hypoxic respiratory failure. Initially diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and started on zosyn. Very hypoxic requiring 15L. The following morning #pocus revealed:
Large bilateral pleural effusion a with compression atelectasis. Clinically was never pneumonia. Was upgraded to ICU and intubated. R sided thoracentesis drained 1.8L of fluid and was stepped out of ICU
The following morning lung #pocus exam done. Left lung: lung sliding with diffuse lung rockets consistent with pulmonary edema
Left lung M-Mode: Sandy Beach sign consistent with normal lung sliding
R lung anterior: A lines present but NO lung sliding
M- mode of R lung: barcode sign consistent with pneumothorax.
Couldn't find lung point so got CT to confirm:
This was a clear and excellent example of how #pocus helps patients and saves them from complications. This patient had other reasons to be hypoxic so pneumothorax was not on the differential initially. But post thoracentesis this is always a concern.
A lot more about lichtenstein and his early pneumothorax studies in our book the @POCUS_Manifesto on Amazon! amazon.com/POCUS-Manifest…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with POCUS Med Ed

POCUS Med Ed Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @pocusmeded

Mar 1
Chest x-rays miss up to 60% of lung consolidations. Especially if they are retro-cardiac.

#pocus misses about 5% if you do a full exam.

Here is a good example with a corresponding left lower posterior lobe ultrasound taken with @ButterflyNetInc IQ3
Image
Chest X-ray was clear but pocus shows DENSE left lower lobe consolidation with static air bronchograms!

Here is the same consolidation 3 days later after antibiotics via the @ButterflyNetInc IQ3 again:
It has shrunken considerably! #pocus is far better than chest X-ray for lung pathology. And it allows for daily evaluation to note disease process response to treatment!

For more on #pocus and lung ultrasound are @POCUS_Manifesto

a.co/d/8SXAH07
Read 6 tweets
Mar 9, 2023
Reason # 76587 why lung #pocus is important: it can often give more information than CXR or CT Chest can. Case in point:

Elderly female on methotrexate and prednisone presenting with fever and cough.

Initial CXR:
Read as "Bibasilar atelectasis." She was started on antibiotics. The following morning had abdominal pain and CT chest abdomen and pelvis ordered. CT chest seen here:
Grossly does not look too impressive. Radiologist read it as "no consolidations, scattered linear opacities." That afternoon seen by a physician skilled in lung #pocus. Left lung lateral lung seen here
Read 10 tweets
Dec 17, 2022
Reason # 67543 why #pocus is important: sometimes mild symptoms are a sign of impending disaster.

41 year old thin athletic male presented to the hospital with a few weeks of mild shortness of breath with exertion.

BP 170/70, HR 100. CXR with cardiomegaly, tortuous aorta.
Bedside #pocus exam shown below:
Most glaring is the size of the aorta. It is clearly larger than the left atrium. Also notable is the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve isn’t opening much.
Read 9 tweets
Sep 2, 2021
The JVP exam has been with us since 1930 when Sir Thomas Lewis first proposed this exceptionally clever technique. A #pocus thread. Image
He knew that in heart failure there in “congestion of the veins” and when they become engorged can be detected on the neck.
Here is a phenomenal example in a very thin patient with prominent veins.
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(