Lesson 1Clinical questions for POCUS in shortness of breath and chest pain (e.g., heart failure, fluid around heart, major lung collapse)This section defines key clinical questions for heart and lung POCUS in breathing issues and chest pain, linking symptoms to treatable problems like heart failure, fluid around heart, and lung collapse to guide quick bedside decisions.
Clarifying the primary dyspnea complaintScreening for pump failure and low outputRuling out major pericardial effusionIdentifying tension or large pneumothoraxPrioritizing life threats vs minor findingsLesson 2Lung scanning areas and views: front, side, back; organised scanning methodThis section details standard lung scanning areas and views, including front, side, and back regions, and teaches an organised, repeatable scanning order that reduces missed problems in patients with sudden breathing trouble.
Defining anterior lung scanning zonesDefining lateral lung scanning zonesDefining posterior lung scanning zonesStandardized scanning sequence for dyspneaAdapting zones for nonambulatory patientsLesson 3Standard heart views for targeted exams: side long view, side short view, tip four-chamber, under ribcage (under ribs)This section outlines standard heart views for targeted exams, including side long and short views, tip four-chamber, and under ribcage views, with focus on probe positions, direction, and common errors in patients with breathing issues.
Parasternal long axis acquisition stepsParasternal short axis at multiple levelsApical four-chamber view optimizationSubxiphoid cardiac and IVC assessmentCommon artifacts and window pitfallsLesson 4Patient talk and record templates for heart and lung POCUS resultsThis section focuses on clear patient talk about POCUS purpose and results, shared choices, and organised record templates that capture key heart and lung results, limits, and follow-up advice.
Explaining POCUS purpose to patientsDiscussing preliminary versus final resultsDocumenting key cardiac POCUS elementsDocumenting key lung POCUS elementsStating limitations and follow-up plansLesson 5Clinical decision paths: how specific POCUS results change tests, treatment (water pills, blood thinners), placement, and need for quick moveThis section shows how specific heart and lung POCUS results change diagnostic tests, guide treatments like water pills or blood thinners, affect placement decisions, and spot patients needing quick move or higher care level.
POCUS-guided diagnostic test selectionAdjusting diuretics using lung B-linesUsing RV findings to guide anticoagulationDisposition decisions from bedside POCUSCriteria for urgent transfer or escalationLesson 6Limits of targeted heart and lung POCUS: image quality factors, telling long-term vs sudden findings, user errors, and when to get full heart scan/CT/lung consultThis section reviews technical and meaning limits of targeted heart and lung POCUS, including body build, false images, long-term versus sudden changes, user bias, and clear points for moving to full heart scan, CT, or specialist consult.
Patient and body habitus image challengesArtifacts that mimic real pathologyDistinguishing chronic from acute findingsCommon operator and interpretation errorsWhen to obtain formal echo or CTTriggers for cardiology or pulmonary consultLesson 7Step-by-step scanning method: patient position, probe place, imaging planes, depth and gain changes for heart and lung viewsThis section gives step-by-step guidance for targeted heart and lung scanning, including patient position, probe place, imaging planes, depth and gain improvement, and fixing strategies to better get views in patients with breathing trouble.
Optimal positioning for dyspneic patientsProbe orientation and hand ergonomicsSelecting and aligning imaging planesAdjusting depth, gain, and focusTroubleshooting poor acoustic windowsMaintaining patient comfort during scansLesson 8Probe choice and reason for targeted heart and lung examsThis section reviews probe options for targeted heart and lung exams, comparing phased array, curvilinear, and linear tools, and explains how frequency, size, and depth affect image quality and clinical question choice.
Phased array probe indicationsCurvilinear probe strengths and limitsLinear probe uses in lung assessmentBalancing frequency and penetrationMatching probe choice to clinical questionLesson 9Meaning of targeted heart findings: left heart pump strength estimates, right heart growth, fluid around heart and squeeze effect, valve major issuesThis section explains how to estimate left heart pump strength, spot right heart growth and strain, identify fluid around heart and squeeze effect, and check for major valve issues using targeted heart views at the bedside.
Visual estimation of LV systolic functionAssessing RV size and interventricular septumDetecting pericardial effusion and tamponadeScreening for gross valvular abnormalitiesIntegrating cardiac POCUS with vital signsLesson 10Meaning of lung findings: A-lines, B-lines (widespread vs local), lung movement, solid areas with air marks, fluid around lungsThis section covers spotting normal A-lines, meaning of B-lines as widespread or local, check of lung movement, finding solid areas with air marks, and describing fluid around lungs in sudden breathing trouble context.
Recognizing normal A-line lung patternDifferentiating focal versus diffuse B-linesAssessing lung sliding and pleural lineIdentifying consolidation and air bronchogramsCharacterizing pleural effusion on POCUS
