Bedside ultrasonography in the ICU: part 1.

Ultrasonography has become an invaluable tool in the management of critically ill patients. Its safety and portability allow for use at the bedside to provide rapid, detailed information regarding the cardiovascular system and the function and anatomy of certain internal organs. Echocardiography can noninvasively elucidate cardiac function and structure. This information is vital in the management hemodynamically unstable patients in the ICU. In addition, ultrasonography has particular value for the assessment and safe drainage of pleural and intra-abdominal fluid and the placement of central venous catheters. A new generation of portable, battery-powered, inexpensive, hand-carried ultrasound devices have recently become available; these devices can provide immediate diagnostic information not assessable by physical examination alone and allow for ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis, paracentesis, and central venous cannulation. This two-part article reviews the application of bedside ultrasonography in the ICU.