Focused cardiac ultrasound: FoCUS

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) is defined as pointof-care ultrasound examination, preformed according to a standardized, but restricted, scanning protocol in order to quickly determine the etiologies of cardiac dysfunction. The use of focused cardiac ultrasound has grown over recent years, and is increasingly being performed by intensivists, anesthesiologists and emergency medicine doctors appropriately trained in FoCUS, not necessarily trained in comprehensive echocardiography. While classic echocardiography uses a set of measurements, the main goal of focused cardiac ultrasound based on rapid orientation is to answer on urgent clinical questions - if there is pericardial effusion and threatening tamponade, whether cardiac function is impaired, normal or enhanced, if the circulating volume is adequate. In addition, FoCUS is suitable in urgent conditions where a clinical decision needs to be made quickly, such as trauma, chest pain, hypotension, and dyspnea. Focused cardiac ultrasound is integrated in the advanced cardiovascular life support algorithm. Unlike the basic FoCUS, advanced FoCUS involves a more detailed examination and provides data on valvular dysfunction, segmental kinetics failure, signs of right heart loading, thoracic aortic dissection. The basic FoCUS does not involve measuring or using Doppler