SonoKids EDU

PURPOSE: In the ongoing endeavor of fine-tuning, the clinical application of transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS), ex-vivo studies wlkiith whole human skulls are of great use in improving the underlying technology guiding the accurate and precise thermal ablation of clinically relevant targets in the human skull. Described here are the designs, methods for fabrication, and notes on utility of three different ultrasound phantoms to be used for brain focused ultrasound research...

Emergency physicians have used point-of-care ultrasonography since the 1990 s. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians have more recently adopted this technology. Point-of-care ultrasonography is used for various scenarios, particularly the evaluation of soft tissue infections or blunt abdominal trauma and procedural guidance. To date, there are no published statements from national organizations specifically for pediatric emergency physicians describing the incorporation of point-of-care ultrasonography into their practice...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate two educational methods for point-of-care ultrasound (POC US) in order to: 1) determine participant test performance and attitudes in using POC US and 2) compare cost and preparation time to run the courses. METHODS: This was a pilot study conducted at a county teaching hospital. Subjects were assigned to participate in either a large group course with live classroom lectures (Group A) or a group asked to watch 4.5 hours of online prerecorded lectures (Group B)...

Telemedicine is widely used for medical education but few studies directly investigate how telemedicine teaching compares to conventional in-person teaching. Here we determine whether telemedicine teaching is as effective as in-person teaching for the acquisition of an ultrasound skill important in trauma care. Nurses with no prior ultrasound experience (n = 10) received study material and a teaching session on how to locate and image the hepatorenal space (Morison's pouch). One group of nurses was taught in-person (In-person Group) and the other group was taught via telemedicine (Telemedicine Group)...

A handful of medical schools have developed formal curricula to teach medical students point-of-care ultrasound; however, no ideal method has been proposed. The purpose of this study was to assess an innovative theme-based ultrasound educational model for undergraduate medical education. This was a single-center cross-sectional study conducted at an academic medical center. The study participants were 95 medical students with minimal or no ultrasound experience during their third year of training. The educational theme for the ultrasound session was "The evaluation of patients involved in motor vehicle collisions...

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) has emerged in recent years and has created new possibilities in the clinical assessment of patients both in and out of hospital. The increasing portability of echocardiographic devices, with some now only the size of a smartphone, has widened the spectrum of potential indications and users, from the senior cardiologist to the medical student. However, many issues still need to be addressed, especially the acknowledgment of the advantages and limitations of using such devices for FCU, and the extent of training required in this rapidly evolving field...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the learning needs of pediatric critical care (PCC) physicians in bedside ultrasound (BUS) use. METHODS: This was a survey-based study conducted at an academic center with a PCC fellowship program. We surveyed PCC fellows and faculty to elicit their views on BUS and asked them about the frequency of use, their perception of the clinical utility, and their level of confidence in performing different BUS applications...

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of hands-on training at a bedside ultrasound (US) symposium ("Ultrafest") to improve both clinical knowledge and image acquisition skills of medical students. Primary outcome measure was improvement in multiple choice questions on pulmonary or Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) US knowledge. Secondary outcome was improvement in image acquisition for either pulmonary or FAST. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 48 volunteers at "Ultrafest," a free symposium where students received five contact training hours...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility and describe the process of implementing a pediatric critical care bedside ultrasound program in a large academic PICU and to evaluate the impact of bedside ultrasound on clinical management. DESIGN: Retrospective case series, description of program implementation. SETTING: Single-center quaternary noncardiac PICU in a children's hospital. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients from January 22, 2012, to July 22, 2012, with bedside ultrasounds performed and interpreted by pediatric critical care practitioners...

OBJECTIVE: Despite international agreement that critical care ultrasound (CCUS) is an essential skill for intensive care providers, CCUS training and dissemination is complicated by a shortage of educators. Newer technology now permits remote, offline supervision as a method of overseeing trainees undergoing CCUS instruction. DESIGN: This was a retrospective, descriptive report of a CCUS curriculum and its output of clinical ultrasound examinations at an academic critical care training program over a 1-year period...

BACKGROUND: Bedside ultrasonography has become a valuable tool in the emergent care setting for triage and rapid evaluation of patients who are acutely ill. Given the cross-sectional nature of ultrasound technology, incidental findings are frequently encountered during imaging. These can impact clinical management and can pose a diagnostic dilemma for emergency medicine (EM) physicians and EM residents. PURPOSE: Our retrospective study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and detection rate of incidental findings on bedside ultrasound examinations performed by EM residents...

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT) is a widely accepted method for the insertion of a tracheostomy tube in a critically ill patient. Because a patient's preexisting endotracheal tube is manipulated during the procedure, premature extubation with potential catastrophic loss of airway control is a risk. As portable ultrasound imaging becomes increasingly useful in the critical care setting, investigations continue to determine the safety of PCT with the technology. METHODS: Introduction of an endotracheal tube in the proximal airway under bronchoscopic guidance was performed in a cadaver...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

In recent years, thanks to the development of miniaturized ultrasound devices, comparable to personal computers, tablets and even to smart phones, we have seen an increasing use of bedside ultrasound in internal medicine departments as a novel kind of ultrasound stethoscope. The clinical ultrasound-assisted approach has proved to be particularly useful in assessing patients with nodules of the neck, dyspnoea, abdominal pain, and with limb edema. In several cases, it has allowed a simple, rapid and precise diagnosis...

OBJECTIVES: To describe our experience with implementation of a novel team-based emergency ultrasound (EUS) fellowship training program. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review at an academic medical center. All emergency department (ED) faculty and residents were divided into 3 teams, and a fellow was assigned to each team. Each fellow was responsible for ultrasound (US) education of their team members and faculty credentialing. Additionally, each fellow was assigned to one of these specific responsibilities every month: (1) education, (2) quality assurance/billing, and (3) equipment...

SonoGames was created by the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound for the 2012 annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. The assessment of resident knowledge and of the performance of point-of-care ultrasound examinations is an integral component of ultrasound education and is required in emergency medicine residency training. With that in mind, game organizers sought to assess and improve emergency medicine residents' point-of-care ultrasound knowledge, hands-on skills, and integration of knowledge into clinical decision making...

OBJECTIVE: Point-of-care ultrasonography (PoCUS) first appeared in the 1980s in North America, but the extent of the diffusion of its adoption is unknown. We characterized early PoCUS adoption by emergency physicians in Canada and its barriers to use using Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory. METHODS: We developed a questionnaire based on a pilot study and literature review to assess past, current, and potential use of PoCUS and potential barriers to adoption...

BACKGROUND: Physical examination and auscultation can be challenging for medical students. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a brief session of group training in focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) with a pocket-sized device would allow medical students to improve their ability to detect clinically relevant cardiac lesions at the bedside. METHODS: Twenty-one medical students in their clinical curriculum completed 4 hours of FCU training in groups...

BACKGROUND: As emergency ultrasound use explodes around the world, it is important to realize the path its development has taken and learn from trials and tribulations of early practitioners in the field. METHODS: Approaches to education, scanning, documentation, and organization are also described. RESULTS: Machines have reduced in price and once purchased further material costs are low. Staffing costs in terms of training, etc have yet to be assessed, but indications from elsewhere are that these are low...