Ultrasound: The New Stethoscope (Point-of-Care Ultrasound)

Advances in technology have led to more user-friendly ultrasound devices that allow for easy incorporation into daily perioperative practice, with the anesthesiologist serving as the sonographer. With appropriate knowledge and training, bedside ultrasound examinations can be used to better diagnose pathology and guide perioperative strategies. Cardiac ultrasound examination was the initial emphasis in anesthesiology, with now expansion into lung and gastric ultrasound imaging. In this review, the indications, procedural description, and clinical findings for lung and gastric ultrasound examinations are discussed to demonstrate its importance and build confidence in the user.