recent articles

Ultrasound G.E.L.

Ultrasound G.E.L. – The Venous Excess Ultrasound Grading System & Acute Kidney Injury

You may have heard whispers of a magical new way to determine if your patient has too much fluid on board. The VExuS (Venous Excess UltraSound) grading system has been described as a way to use the IVC in combination with abdominal organ doppler in order to determine the degree of venous congestion. This is the first study that takes a look at the VExUS system to see if it can predict acute kidney injury in post-operative patients.

Ultrasound G.E.L.

Ultrasound G.E.L. – POCUS for Peritonsillar Abscess

Do you use ultrasound for suspected peritonsillar abscess (PTA)? Some of us probably do, some don't - but what does the evidence say?? Does it help the clinician? and (dare we ask) does it help the patient? This paper is potentially the best data we currently have on the topic. Mike and special guest Kim Fender dive straight into the purulence of this fluctuant topic.

Ultrasound G.E.L.

Ultrasound G.E.L. – PEA Arrest

This is the second study from the REASON group - one of the most rigorously performed studies of ultrasound in cardiac arrest. In this article, they are looking at the population in pulseless electrical activity (PEA) with cardiac motion on ultrasound. From this group, they differentiate those with organized rhythms. The idea is that perhaps this population would have a different survival or respond to treatments differently. By reanalyzing their previous data, they are able to answer these questions.

Ultrasound G.E.L.

Ultrasound G.E.L. – GI Bleed Risk

It's not what you think - POCUS is not going to be used to diagnose a GI bleed. However, perhaps it can be used to risk stratify this diverse group of patients. These authors had the idea to check IVC, echo, and LVOT VTI to see if it could help predict which patients are going to have adverse events from their bleed.