Use of point-of-care ultrasound by internists to rapidly diagnose acute decompensated heart failure

Dyspnea is a common presenting complaint seen by hospitalists. The differential is broad, includ-ing life-threatening and less urgent etiologies. We report a 43-year-old male presenting to an in-patient medicine service with dyspnea in the setting of asthma, tobacco and occupational expo-sures, and no prior cardiac history. Use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) immediately con-firmed diagnosis of acute decompensated heart failure, allowing prompt decision making and care. Use of POCUS is widespread among emergency physicians and intensivists; however, use among medical students, internal medicine residents, and hospitalists remains variable. In-creased use of POCUS by hospitalists may increase speed and accuracy of diagnosis.