The Utility of Teleultrasound to Guide Acute Patient Management

Authors

Christian D. Becker, New York Medical CollegeFollow
Mario Fusaro, New York Medical College
Darshan Patel, New York Medical CollegeFollow
Isaac Shalom, New York Medical College
William Frishman, New York Medical CollegeFollow
Corey Scurlock, New York Medical College

DOI

10.1097/CRD.0000000000000144

Journal Title

Cardiology in Review

First Page

97

Last Page

101

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2017

Department

Medicine

Keywords

Acute Disease, Critical Illness, Disease Management, humans, Telemedicine utilization, Ultrasonography utilization

Disciplines

Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment | Critical Care | Medicine and Health Sciences | Other Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment | Telemedicine

Abstract

Ultrasound has evolved into a core bedside tool for diagnostic and management purposes for all subsets of adult and pediatric critically-ill patients. Teleintensive care unit coverage has undergone a similar rapid expansion period throughout the United States. Round-the-clock access to ultrasound equipment is very common in today's intensive care unit, but 24/7 coverage with staff trained to acquire and interpret point-of-care ultrasound in real time is lagging behind equipment availability. Medical trainees and physician extenders require attending level supervision to ensure consistent image acquisition and accurate interpretation. Teleintensivists can extend the utility of ultrasound by supervising and guiding providers without or with only partial training in ultrasound, and also by extending direct trainee ultrasound supervision to time periods when no direct bedside attending supervisor is available, and when treatment decisions otherwise would have been made without supervision and feedback on image acquisition and interpretation. Nursing staff without ultrasound training can also be directed to perform basic ultrasound exams, which may have immediate diagnostic and/or treatment consequences, thereby overcoming access barriers in the absence of physicians or physician extenders. We discuss 4 real-life clinical scenarios in which teleintensivist supervision extended and standardized bedside ultrasound exams to guide management decisions which significantly impacted patient outcomes.

Recommended Citation

Becker, C. D., Fusaro, M., Patel, D., Shalom, I., Frishman, W., & Scurlock, C. (2017). The Utility of Teleultrasound to Guide Acute Patient Management. Cardiology in Review, 25 (3), 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1097/CRD.0000000000000144