Lesson 1Clinical questions for POCUS in breathlessness and chest pain (e.g., heart pump failure, fluid around heart, major lung collapse)This part defines main clinical questions for heart and lung POCUS in breathing issues and chest pain, linking signs to treatable problems like heart pump failure, fluid around heart, and lung collapse to guide fast 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 part details standard lung scanning areas and views, including front, side, and back parts, 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 stomach)This part outlines standard heart views for targeted exams, including side long and short views, tip four-chamber, and under ribcage views, stressing 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 part focuses on clear patient talk about POCUS aim and results, shared choices, and organised record templates that note 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 tablets, blood thinners), placement, and urgent move needsThis part shows how specific heart and lung POCUS results adjust diagnostic tests, guide treatments like water tablets or blood thinners, affect placement choices, and spot patients needing urgent move or higher care.
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 heart scan/CT/lung consultThis part reviews technical and understanding limits of targeted heart and lung POCUS, including body type, false images, long-term versus sudden changes, user mistakes, and clear points for moving to full heart scan, CT, or specialist advice.
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 angles, depth and brightness changes for heart and lung viewsThis part gives step-by-step guidance for targeted heart and lung scanning, including patient position, probe place, imaging angles, depth and brightness improvement, and fixing strategies to get better 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 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 question choice.
Phased array probe indicationsCurvilinear probe strengths and limitsLinear probe uses in lung assessmentBalancing frequency and penetrationMatching probe choice to clinical questionLesson 9Understanding targeted heart results: left heart pump strength estimates, right heart growth, fluid around heart and squeeze signs, valve major issuesThis part explains how to estimate left heart pump strength, 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.
Visual estimation of LV systolic functionAssessing RV size and interventricular septumDetecting pericardial effusion and tamponadeScreening for gross valvular abnormalitiesIntegrating cardiac POCUS with vital signsLesson 10Understanding lung results: A-lines, B-lines (widespread vs local), lung movement, solid areas with air marks, fluid around lungsThis part covers spotting normal A-lines, understanding B-lines as widespread or local, checking lung movement, finding solid areas with air marks, and describing fluid around lungs in sudden breathing problems.
Recognizing normal A-line lung patternDifferentiating focal versus diffuse B-linesAssessing lung sliding and pleural lineIdentifying consolidation and air bronchogramsCharacterizing pleural effusion on POCUS
