Pleuropulmonary and diaphragmatic ultrasound in intensive care medicine

Abstract

The usefulness of ultrasound for chest exploration was described in 1968. It was not until the 1990s, when its use became widespread in Intensive Care Units as a diagnostic, monitoring and procedural guide tool. The fact that it is a non-invasive tool, accessible at the bedside, with a sensitivity and specificity close to computerized tomography (CT) and with a short learning curve, have made it a mandatory technique in the management of critically ill patients. It is essential to know that there are different air/fluid ratio generated by different pathologies that gives rise to one echographic pattern or another. The identification of these patterns together with the clinical information will allow to make an accurate diagnosis in most settings of respiratory failure. Likewise, we must not forget the importance of evaluating diaphragmatic function by ultrasound during weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Keywords: chest ultrasound; diaphragmatic ultrasound; ecografía diafragmática; ecografía pleuro-pulmonar; ecografía torácica; insuficiencia respiratoria; intensive care; medicina intensiva; pleuropulmonary ultrasound; respiratory failure.