Differential diagnosis of cardiovascular symptoms: setting the expectations for the ultrasound examination and medical education.

Within the past several decades, dramatic changes have been made in the field of diagnostic imaging. Many of these changes have been with ultrasound, which has been transformative in the efficiency and accuracy of diagnostics. Emergency physicians, intensivists, and other acute care clinicians are using and relying on critical care ultrasound imaging to better triage and diagnose patients at the point of care. As this new frontier of medicine continues to forge forward using this new and improving technology, we strongly believe in integrating ultrasound training earlier into the medical education curriculum. This paper reviews and discusses the transformation of medical diagnostics within the last few decades and describes changes that should be expected as point-of-care cardiac ultrasound evolves within medical education.