Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Respiratory Care: Current Applications, Future Directions

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has emerged as a diagnostic tool in pulmonary medicine, offering real-time bedside assessment of respiratory pathologies. This narrative review examines the current applications of POCUS in pulmonary practice, evaluates its diagnostic accuracy compared to traditional imaging modalities, and explores future directions for this technology. POCUS demonstrates superior sensitivity to chest radiography for detecting pneumonia, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, and pulmonary edema, with diagnostic accuracy approaching that of computed tomography in some clinical scenarios. Key applications include evaluation of acute dyspnea, monitoring of mechanically ventilated patients, guidance of therapeutic interventions, and assessment of diaphragmatic function. Despite its advantages, POCUS requires adequate training and has limitations in some clinical contexts, particularly in ventilator-associated pneumonia and when used as a replacement rather than adjunct to standard diagnostic pathways. Emerging applications include artificial intelligence-assisted interpretation, integration into telemedicine platforms, and expanded use in outpatient pulmonary clinics. As portable ultrasound technology continues to advance and training programs become more standardized, POCUS is positioned to become one of the key components of the pulmonary physician’s diagnostic tools.