Abstract
Ultrasound has historically been limited to in-hospital use for the diagnosis and
management of various conditions. However, with the advent of smaller and more portable
devices, this technology can be used outside the hospital. This report describes a
patient with chest pain and hypotension for whom a point-of-care cardiac ultrasound
(POCUS) was performed to diagnose cardiac tamponade during critical care transport.
She was subsequently found to have an acute type A aortic dissection, and her care
was expedited to the operating room. Cardiac tamponade in the setting of acute type
A aortic dissection requires urgent surgical repair; therefore, early diagnosis is
crucial to survival. In this case, prehospital ultrasound facilitated rapid care for
the patient. Further study is needed to define its role in the prehospital setting.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 19, 2022
Identification
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