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Background: COVID-19 continues to circulate around the world with multiple different strains being active at once. While diagnosis with antigen and molecular testing is more readily available, there is still room for alternative methods of diagnosis, particularly in out-of-hospital settings, e.g., home or nursing homes, and in low–medium income countries, where testing may not be readily available. Study Objectives: To evaluate the performance of two modified corona score methods compared with a traditional corona score approach to identify patients with COVID-19. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study performed to compare the ability to predict SARS-CoV-2 test results on a nasopharyngeal swab between the corona scores and two novel corona scores (modified 1 corona score (M1CS) and modified 2 corona score (M2CS)). The M1CS included lung ultrasound (LUS) and chest X-ray (CXR) results, while the M2SC only utilized LUS findings without CXRs. Emergency physicians performed point-of-care LUS and a physical examination upon admission to the emergency department. Results: Subjects positive for SARS-CoV-2 were older and had higher ferritin levels and temperature and lower diastolic blood pressure and oxygen saturation. The two groups differed on corona score and modified corona scores (p < 0.001 for all). SARS-CoV-2-positive patients had fewer pleural line irregularities (p = 0.025) but presented more frequently with an interstitial pattern on CXRs (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In our study, LUS alone provided a valuable contribution to the corona score and improved its performance more than when CXR results were included. These results suggest that resource-limited areas where CXRs may be unavailable or prohibitively expensive can utilize an ultrasound as the sole imaging modality without a loss of diagnostic performance for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric Outlet Obstruction (GOO) is a clinical syndrome characterized by postprandial vomiting, epigastric pain, and abdominal distension due to mechanical or motility disorders. The suspicion will mainly rely on abdominal radiological imaging (computed tomography, barium studies) that might not be widely available or even be contraindicated. We report a 65-year-old male who developed progressive epigastralgia, anorexia, and vomiting. Physical examination revealed mild abdominal distension and epigastric tenderness on deep palpation. With the presumptive diagnosis of gastric outlet obstruction, an abdominal point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was performed and showed impaired gastric emptying and a "target sign." A gastroscopic exploration confirmed inflammatory pyloric stenosis due to coexisting antral and duodenal ulcers. POCUS could play an essential role in the easy ultrasonographic diagnosis of gastroparesis, helping to differentiate from other causes of obstruction and even raise suspicion in the diagnosis of pyloric stenosis as a consequence of a GGO. POCUS may serve as a first-line imaging test that can raise suspicion of this difficult to diagnose and probably underreported disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a reliable and powerful tool working as a complement to the traditional physical examination. It has proven to be a reliable and reproducible method to a quicker and safer diagnosis, sometimes surpassing the diagnostic accuracy of more traditional techniques. We present two cases of pulmonary embolism (PE) with clinical presentations that suggested other diagnoses, prior to the performance of POCUS: a 60-year-old patient with nausea and vomiting and a 66-year-old female with a week-long progressive increase of shortness of breath and increased peripheral edema. In the reported cases, we aim to pinpoint the importance and usefulness of POCUS in the everyday evaluation of our patients, in multiple settings and by multiple specialty physicians, supported by its robust evidence-based background. It has proven to be a useful tool in evaluating in a fast and nonharmful way complementing more traditional techniques, which proves to be especially important regarding cases, like the ones we describe, when the correct diagnosis is not always clear to presentation. The use of multiorgan POCUS allows even in the most atypical presentations, the rise of suspicion of PE, leading to the necessary steps to a final diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) refers to a spectrum of syndromes related to the compression of the brachial plexus (neurogenic TOS), subclavian vein or artery in the general region of the thoracic outlet, which is the area just above the first rib and behind the clavicle. Case report: We report a 27-year-old healthy man who presented to the emergency department with right upper limb pain, tingling and weakness. Point-of-care ultrasonography was performed following a dynamic protocol in the supraclavicular fossa in the right upper limb. A congenital cervical rib, as well as narrowing of the costoclavicular gap, causing vein, artery and spinal roots compression was evidenced. This maneuver reproduced the symptoms, confirming the suspicion of neurogenic TOS. Discussion: Early diagnosis is important, because the neurogenic compression associated with neurogenic TOS, if prolonged, can lead to muscle weakness and atrophy, being irreversible. Selected patients with neurogenic TOS who have progressive weakness, disabling pain, or who have failed to improve with conservative measures are considered for first rib resection. Conclusion: Using the dynamic approach during point-of-care ultrasonography examination, in combination with physical examination and cervical radiography, could help identify neurogenic TOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives : Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a clinical condition with high mortality rates, particularly in patients over 65. Current guidelines recommend assessing the likelihood of pulmonary hypertension (LPH) using advanced echocardiography before proceeding to right heart catheterization. This study proposed using the common femoral vein (CFV), an accessible vein that reflects right atrial pressure, as an alternative method to assess the high likelihood of pulmonary hypertension (H-LPH). Materials and Methods : This prospective observational study included 175 emergency patients from three hospitals. Ultrasound assessed the pulsed wave Doppler (PW-Doppler) morphology of the CFV. This diagnostic yield for H-LPH was evaluated alongside traditional ultrasound parameters (right-to-left ventricular basal diameter ratio greater than 1 (RV > LV), septal flattening, right ventricular outflow acceleration time (RVOT) of less than 105 ms and/or mesosystolic notching, pulmonary artery diameter greater than the aortic root (AR) diameter or over 25 mm, early pulmonary regurgitation maximum velocity > 2.2 m/s; TAPSE/PASP less than 0.55, inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter over 21 mm with decreased inspiratory collapse, and right atrial (RA) area over 18 cm 2 ). Results: The CFV's PW-Doppler cardiac pattern correlated strongly with H-LPH, showing a sensitivity (Sn) of 72% and a specificity (Sp) of 96%. RA dilation and TAPSE/PASP < 0.55 also played significant diagnostic roles. Conclusions: The CFV's PW-Doppler cardiac pattern is an effective indicator of H-LPH, allowing reliable exclusion of this condition when absent. This approach could simplify initial LPH evaluation in emergency settings or where echocardiographic resources are limited.