Pulmonary Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in the Intensive Care Unit

Pulmonary point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a quick and essential tool in the diagnosis of various pulmonary pathologies. Pulmonary POCUS can aid in the detection of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pulmonary edema, and pneumonia, with sensitivity and specificity comparable, if not superior, to those of chest radiograph and chest computed tomography. Knowledge of anatomy and scanning of both lungs in multiple posi-tions is essential for effective pulmonary POCUS. In addition to identifying pertinent anatomic structures such as the diaphragm, liver, spleen, and pleura and identifying spe-cific ultrasonography findings such as A-lines, B-lines, lung sliding, and dynamic air broncho-grams, POCUS helps detect pleural and parenchymal abnormalities. Proficiency in pulmonary POCUS is an attainable and essen-tial skill in the care and management of the critically ill patient.