Portable ultrasound examinations in intensive care units.

The portability of modern real-time ultrasound units has led to a marked increase in the demand for examinations in medical, surgical, and pediatric intensive care units, the pediatric nursery, and the operating room. The results of all portable ultrasound examinations in the medical and surgical intensive care units at the Massachusetts General Hospital over a four-month period were analyzed to determine the efficacy of such studies. Of 48 examinations, portable sonograms were useful in 90 per cent, found new, clinically important information in 17 per cent, and led to misleading information in 4 per cent. Portable ultrasound examinations are valuable clinically and are probably cost effective.