American Society of Echocardiography Consensus Statement
Focused Cardiac Ultrasound in the Emergent Setting: A Consensus Statement of the American Society of Echocardiography and American College of Emergency Physicians

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The use of ultrasound has developed over the last 50 years into an indispensable first-line test for the cardiac evaluation of symptomatic patients. The technologic miniaturization and improvement in transducer technology, as well as the implementation of educational curriculum changes in residency training programs and specialty practice, have facilitated the integration of focused cardiac ultrasound into practice by specialties such as emergency medicine. In the emergency department, focused cardiac ultrasound has become a fundamental tool to expedite the diagnostic evaluation of the patient at the bedside and to initiate emergent treatment and triage decisions by the emergency physician.

Keywords

Echocardiography
Emergency department
Focused cardiac ultrasound
Resuscitation

Abbreviations

ACEP
American College of Emergency Physicians
ACLS
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
ASE
American Society of Echocardiography
FOCUS
Focused cardiac ultrasound
IVC
Inferior vena cava
LV
Left ventricular
PEA
Pulseless electrical activity
RV
Right ventricular

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Disclosures/Conflict of Interest: The following authors report a relationship with one or more commercial interests: Thomas R. Porter, MD, FASE, serves as a consultant for Lantheus Medical Imaging, receives research support from Siemens Medical, and receives grant support from Lantheus Medical Imaging, NuVox Pharma, and Astellas Pharma, Inc. Vivek S. Tayal, MD, FACEP, receives research support from Philips Ultrasound. Kevin Wei, MD, receives grant support from Zonare and Philips Ultrasound. All other authors reported no actual or potential conflicts of interest in relation to this document.

Reprint requests: American Society of Echocardiography, 2100 Gateway Centre Boulevard, Suite 310, Morrisville, NC 27560 ([email protected]).

American Society of Echocardiography

∗∗

American College of Emergency Physicians.

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