1. Introduction 2. How ultrasound works 3. Abdominal aorta 4. Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) 5. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) 6. The painful hip 7. Central venous access 8. Soft-tissue foreign bodies 9. Draining pleural effusions and ascites 10. Shock and cardiac arrest 11. Renal tract 12. Gallbladder 13. Early pregnancy 14. Getting trained and staying trained 15. Setting up an emergency ultrasound service 16. Conclusion Appendix 1. Useful paperwork Appendix 2. Useful organisations Appendix 3. Further reading
Very useful little book. A must have for the emergency trainee or
physician who wants to improve their ultrasound skills. Succinct
and practical and set out in an easy to use format with helpful
pictures demonstrating most aspects of emergency room
ultrasound.
UK Medical Student ...There are many helpful hints and clinically
relevant scenes and pictures for the uninitiated to get a taste for
the use of this core subject in Emergency Medicine. When combined
with a practical, 'hands-on' course, this book will be part of the
essential preparation for the FCEM for specialist registrars in
Emergency Medicine. Highly recommended.
Irish Medical Student This is a small, soft-backed, pocket book of
just over 160 pages. It is written primarily for specialists in
emergency medicine, surgery and intensive care and not for
radiologists. Like all "made easy" books its aim is to provide a
quick entry into the subject and act as an aide memoir for those
faced with assessing a patient with ultrasound in an acute
situation. Each chapter is devoted to a specific problem, e.g.,
aorta, deep vein thrombus or the painful hip. The clinical
presentation of each condition is outlined and instruction is given
on how ultrasound fits into the diagnosis and management. The book
tries to teach a way of thinking: asking binary questions with
yes/no answers that ultrasound can achieve rather than more
difficult open-ended questions. An example in assessment of the
painful hip is not to ask ultrasound to tell you why the hip is
painful but to ask whether there is a hip effusion or not. In this
way, the inexperienced user can glean useful information out of
their ultrasound examination. Simple drawings are used to show
probe position and example ultrasound images are provided. These
images are taken from the type of relatively cheap portable
ultrasound machine that is likely to be present in the emergency
department. There are useful tips and handy hints on how to answer
the binary question posed. Importantly, the book tells the reader
what ultrasound can and cannot tell you in each scenario, and goes
onto say what to do next. The authors repeatedly remind the reader
that they are not trying to provide the sort of ultrasound
examination that a sonographer or radiologist would perform;
sometimes the next procedure is to request an in-depth ultrasound
examination. The book has well-structured headings enabling easy
reference. It has a friendly style and is not in the least
intimidating. It is a very sensible exposition of ultrasound usage
by the medical non-radiologist. The concept of "focused assessment
with sonography in trauma" (FAST) is well established and this book
is a logical extension of that concept. I know that some
radiologists are disturbed by the spread of ultrasound outside the
control of radiology but that is a somewhat selfish response. It is
inevitable that cheap ultrasound machines will be bought and used
by non-radiologists when radiology departments cannot provide a
timely service, particularly so in an acute presentation. I would
encourage radiologists to make sure that those using ultrasound in
this way are taught appropriate skills and know their limitations.
This book is a good place for them to start. I like the final quote
given, "a fool with a stethoscope will still be a fool with an
ultrasound". I strongly urge each practitioner to buy a copy.
Clinical Radiology Journal
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