Point of Care Ultrasonography for the Septic Patient in the Emergency Department: A Literature Review

Abstract

The point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been effectively used in intensive care units for the management of septic patients. Since it is a time- and cost-effective non-invasive imaging modality, its use in the emergency department (ED) has been advocated for by medical experts. This review summarizes the existing literature regarding the breadth of POCUS as a supplementary tool to the holistic approach of septic patients in the ED setting. A literature search was conducted via PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases, analyzing studies which examined the use of POCUS in the ED for non-traumatic, septic, and/or undifferentiated hypotensive patients, resulting in 26 studies. The first cluster of studies investigates the efficiency of POCUS protocols in the differential diagnosis and its reliability for distributive/septic shock and sepsis management. In the second cluster, POCUS use results in faster sepsis cause identification and improves therapeutic management. The third cluster confirms that POCUS aids in the accurate diagnosis and management, even in rare and complicated cases. The results of the present review support the well-documented utility of POCUS and highlight the importance of POCUS incorporation in the comprehensive management of the septic patient in the ED setting.