POCUS use in the critical care areas: The use of posterior view for heart assessment

Abstract

AbstractEchocardiography can be quickly deployed for bedside management of critically ill patients, using parasternal, apical, and subxiphoid windows. However, lung air can obstruct these views. As left pleural effusion can cause pulmonary atelectasis, it creates a liquid space that improves ultrasonic transmission when using a postero‐lateral approach. This unconventional view uses a phased array transducer positioned at the posterior axillary line between the fourth and fifth intercostal spaces, enabling four‐chamber heart visualization. Although limited without pleural effusion, this method becomes valuable in the presence of a left‐sided effusion and when conventional views are inadequate.