I saw a 51-year-old man recently with hypotension and tachycardia. It got interesting.
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What’s the heart rate: follow up
In the last post, I mentioned that I was not sure why there was no palpable pulse from the PVC during ventricular bigeminy. Does the PVC not cause a mechanical contraction at all? Or does it actually cause a contraction that is too weak to feel? I’d mentioned that I could have answered the question with an ultrasound.
It was just a matter of time before this happened again.
Continue readingProbe Orientation in Cardiac Ultrasound
Learners often struggle with which direction to point the probe marker when scanning the heart. Hopefully this is a quick fix.
Continue readingRegional Wall Motion Abnormality
A 45 year-old man presents by EMS after a VF arrest. On arrival at the ED he has a pulse. An ECG shows an anterior STEMI. The cath lab is activated and the cardiologist is en route. While waiting for the cavalry to arrive, you ultrasound his heart and strike gold.
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Searcy EM 