My patient has no blood pressure: point-of-care ultrasound in the hypotensive patient – FAST and RELIABLE

Abstract

There is perhaps no greater challenge to the emergency and critical care physician than management of the hypotensive patient. A rapid, yet accurate, assessment is essential in this clinical setting. Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) has evolved to become an indispensable test in the critical care and emergency setting. This article addresses the use of ultrasound in the evaluation of the hypotensive patient and reviews some of the scanning protocols and algorithms that have been described. We use the mnemonic FAST and RELIABLE to describe key aspects of PoCUS for undifferentiated hypotension.