Regulating Critical Care Ultrasound, It Is All in the Interpretation

• Published in: Pediatric critical care medicine Vol. 22; no. 4; p. e253
• Main Authors: Su, Erik, Soni, Nilam J, Blaivas, Michael, Bhargava, Vidit, Steffen, Katherine, Haileselassie, Bereketeab
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Child; Critical Care; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems; Point-of-Care Testing; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 1529-7535
• DOI: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000002600

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use is rapidly expanding as a practice in adult and pediatric critical care environments. In January 2020, the Joint Commission endorsed a statement from the Emergency Care Research Institute citing point-of-care ultrasound as a potential hazard to patients for reasons related to training and skill verification, oversight of use, and recordkeeping and accountability mechanisms for clinical use; however, no evidence was presented to support these concerns. Existing data on point-of-care ultrasound practices in pediatric critical care settings verify that point-of-care ultrasound use continues to increase, and contrary to the concerns raised, resources are becoming increasingly available for point-of-care ultrasound use. Many institutions have recognized a successful approach to addressing these concerns that can be achieved through multispecialty collaborations.