preprints.org > medicine and pharmacology > internal medicine > doi: 10.20944/preprints202203.0278.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 18 March 2022 / Approved: 21 March 2022 / Online: 21 March 2022 (08:39:57 CET)

Accumulated data show the utility of diagnostic multi-organ point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in the assessment of patients admitted to an internal medicine ward. Assess whether multi-organ PoCUS (lung, cardiac, and abdomen) provides relevant diagnostic and/or therapeutic information in patients admitted for any reason to an internal medicine ward. Prospective, observational, and single-center study, at a secondary hospital. Multi-organ PoCUS was performed during the first 24 hours of admission. The sonographer had access to the patients’ medical history, physical examination, and basic complementary tests performed in the ED (laboratory, X-ray, electrocardiogram). We considered a relevant ultrasound finding if it implied a significant diagnostic and/or therapeutic change. In the second semester of 2019, 310 patients were enrolled (48.7% men, mean age 70.5 years). Relevant ultrasound findings were detected in 86 patients (27.7%) and in 60 (19.3%) triggered a therapeutic change. These findings were associated with older age (Mantel-Haenszel 2 = 25.6; p< .001) and higher degree of dependency (Mantel Haenszel 2 = 5.7; p = .017). Multi-organ PoCUS provides relevant diagnostic information, complementing traditional physical exam, and facilitates therapy adjustment, regardless of the cause of admission. Multi-organ PoCUS to be useful need to be systematically integrated into the decision-making process in internal medicine.

point-of-care ultrasound; internal medicine; lung ultrasound; echocardiography; abdominal ultrasound

Medicine and Pharmacology, Internal Medicine

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