Premium
Lung ultrasound in a COVID pandemic – Choosing wisely
Author(s) -
Baker Kylie,
Rippey James
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australasian journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2205-0140
pISSN - 1836-6864
DOI - 10.1002/ajum.12213
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , personal protective equipment , aviation , hazard , intensive care medicine , medical emergency , pathology , chemistry , disease , organic chemistry , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , engineering , aerospace engineering
This is an opinion piece on the role of POCUS in COVID‐19, with a focus on lung ultrasound. It is not an instructional essay. Crisis management in medicine has often been likened to crisis management in the aviation industry. The important difference between pilots and clinicians is that the clinician's life was not in imminent danger, should one fail. The clinician did not have the same emotional urgency as the pilot. The COVID‐19 pandemic has changed this, and clinicians are now faced with the need to make urgent decisions whilst exposed to some personal risk. Whether to embrace POCUS and lung ultrasound during this pandemic is an important decision. Whilst there are clear advantages, poorly considered overzealous uptake is not without hazard, opportunity cost and potential risk to patient and clinician.