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The economic crisis, the growing healthcare demand, and Defensive Medicine wastefulness, strongly recommend the restructuring of the entire medical network. New health technology, such as bedside ultrasonography, might successfully integrate the clinical approach optimizing the use of limited resources, especially in a person-oriented vision of medicine. Bedside ultrasonography is a safe and reliable technique, with worldwide expanding employment in various clinical settings, being considered as "the stethoscope of the 21st century". However, at present, bedside ultrasonography lacks economic analysis. We performed a Cost-Benefit Analysis "ex ante", with a break-even point computing, of bedside ultrasonography implementation in an Internal Medicine department in the mid-term. Number and kind estimation of bedside ultrasonographic studies were obtained by a retrospective study, whose data results were applied to the next 3-year period (foresight study). All 1980 foreseen bedside examinations, with prevailing multiorgan ultrasonographic studies, were considered to calculate direct and indirect costs, while specific and generic revenues were considered only after the first semester. Physician professional training, equipment purchase and working time represented the main fixed and variable cost items. DRG increase/appropriateness, hospitalization stay shortening and reduction of traditional ultrasonography examination requests mainly impacted on calculated revenues. The break-even point, i.e. the volume of activity at which revenues exactly equal total incurred costs, was calculated to be 734 US examinations, corresponding to € 81,998 and the time considered necessary to reach it resulting 406 days. Our economic analysis clearly shows that bedside ultrasonography implementation in clinical daily management of an Internal Medicine department can produce consistent savings, or economic profit according to managerial choices (i.e., considering public or private targets), other than evident medical benefits.

Background: Myonecrosis can rapidly develop in soft tissue necrotizing infections, often with initial sparing of the skin. Despite the improvements in management of necrotizing soft tissue infections, mortality remains high, according to the location, microbial agents and comorbidities, ranging between 17 and 46 %. A prompt diagnosis represents the greatest challenge for the emergency physician., Case Report: We describe the case of a patient with a history of hypertension and arrhythmia who developed nonclostridial necrotizing fasciitis with extensive myonecrosis, after articular infiltration procedure. A bedside focused ultrasonography (US) revealed disappearance of the regular fibrillar architecture of the long head of biceps muscle, with diffuse abnormal hyperechogenicity assembled in a "clod pattern". Computed tomography (CT) of the right arm did not depict muscle involvement, but showed a small gas collection around the shoulder, spreading to the subclavian region behind the major pectoral muscle. Necrotizing fasciitis with wide myonecrosis was confirmed by surgical debridement. Microbiological results showed a Staphylococcus aureus infection, managed by a selected antibiotic therapy. The patient was discharged after a small period of mechanical ventilation., Conclusion: This is the first report of a previously healthy patient developing a nonclostridial necrotizing fasciitis with extensive myonecrosis attributable to infiltrative procedure and detected early by bedside US in emergency department. The role of bedside US in the emergency setting may save time for the prompt management of life-threatening necrotizing infections.

The epigastrium is the site where pain coming from both abdominal and extra-abdominal organs is frequently referred. Although acute or chronic diseases of the stomach, duodenum, liver, pancreas and biliary tree are the most common causes of acute epigastric pain, several other entities, potentially more severe, should also be suspected and investigated. Clinical bedside ultrasonography (US) is actually the first-line imaging in acute epigastric pain patients presenting to the hospital Emergency Department (ED) because it is rapid, noninvasive, relatively inexpensive and focused, repeatable and reliable. Moreover, the systematic use of emergency US as a complement to routine management might save economic resources by avoiding further costs for complications and substantially reducing the time for making an accurate diagnosis. The purpose of this paper is to review the US spectrum of the most common diseases responsible for acute epigastric pain onset. We also propose a focused, well codified US protocol, that we call the "$ approach", based on our clinical experience and the current literature for acute non-traumatic epigastric pain evaluation in an emergency setting. Its systematic application by the emergency physician may reduce the wait for diagnosis and the over-usage of second-line radiological techniques, including computed tomography, as well as to increase the diagnostic accuracy with potential benefits for patient (safety), physician (efficacy) and the institution (efficiency).