Point-of-Care Transthoracic Echocardiography

Point-of-care transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is integral to the practice of acute care medicine to help assess patients quickly, accurately, and non-invasively. This review discusses how point-of-care TTE works in terms of logistics and diagnostic capabilities, specifying the information available from each point-of-care TTE view. The TTE findings of potentially reversible causes of shock are also described to help distinguish different causes of shock and to guide management and therapeutic interventions. While data have not shown that point-of-care TTE improves patient outcomes or mortality, it can certainly narrow the differential diagnosis for the cause of shock, potentially allowing earlier, more appropriate treatment.