Lesson 1Clinical issues for POCUS in breathlessness and chest pain (e.g., heart failure, fluid around heart, major lung collapse)This part defines main clinical issues for heart and lung POCUS in breathlessness and chest pain, linking signs to treatable problems like heart failure, fluid around heart, and lung collapse to guide fast bedside decisions in Namibia.
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 scan areas and views: front, side, back; organised scan methodThis part details standard lung scan areas and views, including front, side, and back regions, and teaches an organised, repeatable scan order that reduces missed issues in patients with sudden breathlessness in Namibia.
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-room, under-rib (under-stomach)This part outlines standard heart views for targeted exams, including side long and short views, tip four-room, and under-rib views, stressing probe spots, direction, and common errors in patients with breathlessness in Namibia.
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 part stresses clear patient talk about POCUS aim and outcomes, joint decisions, and organised record templates that note key heart and lung results, limits, and follow-up advice in Namibian settings.
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 urgent move needsThis part shows how specific heart and lung POCUS results adjust tests, guide treatments like water pills or blood thinners, affect placement choices, and spot patients needing urgent move or higher care in Namibia.
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 results, user errors, and when to get full echo/CT/lung consultThis part reviews technical and reading 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 echo, CT, or expert consult in Namibia.
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 scan method: patient position, probe spot, image planes, depth and brightness changes for heart and lung viewsThis part gives step-by-step advice for targeted heart and lung scanning, including patient position, probe spot, image planes, depth and brightness improvement, and fix strategies to better get views in breathless patients in Namibia.
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 part reviews probe options for targeted heart and lung exams, comparing phased array, curved, and straight tools, and explains how frequency, size, and depth affect image quality and clinical issue choice in Namibia.
Phased array probe indicationsCurvilinear probe strengths and limitsLinear probe uses in lung assessmentBalancing frequency and penetrationMatching probe choice to clinical questionLesson 9Reading targeted heart results: left heart pump work estimates, right heart growth, fluid around heart and squeeze signs, valve main issuesThis part explains how to estimate left heart pump work, spot right heart growth and strain, find fluid around heart and squeeze signs, and check for major valve issues using targeted heart views at the bedside in Namibia.
Visual estimation of LV systolic functionAssessing RV size and interventricular septumDetecting pericardial effusion and tamponadeScreening for gross valvular abnormalitiesIntegrating cardiac POCUS with vital signsLesson 10Reading lung results: A-lines, B-lines (widespread vs local), lung slide, solid areas with air marks, fluid around lungsThis part covers spotting normal A-lines, reading B-lines as widespread or local, checking lung slide, finding solid areas with air marks, and describing fluid around lungs in sudden breathlessness cases in Namibia.
Recognizing normal A-line lung patternDifferentiating focal versus diffuse B-linesAssessing lung sliding and pleural lineIdentifying consolidation and air bronchogramsCharacterizing pleural effusion on POCUS
