Screening of Patients Admitted to a Local Hospital With Pocket-sized Ultrasound

Ultrasound (US) is widely used as a diagnostic tool in a hospital setting. In a medical department, diagnosis like heart failure or most kinds of heart diseases, hypervolemia, hypovolemia, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, ascites, diseases in the gall bladder/bile tract, urine tract and venous thrombosis are common. US is the key diagnostic tool in these diagnosis, and on early diagnosis is crucial both on behalf of the patients well-being, and for hospital logistic reasons.

1. The aim is to study the clinical use of pocket sized US as a screening diagnostic tool in an department of internal medicine.

   Method: All patients admitted (in certain preset periods) to Department of medicine will be screened with pocket sized US by expert user. Changes in diagnoses, as well as medications as a result of US screening will be the endpoints. US findings will be validated against standard echocardiography, or standard US/CT/MRI performed at the Radiological department.

2. The aim is to study the clinical use of pocket sized US as a screening diagnostic tool in a department of cardiology.

   Method: All patients admitted (in certain preset periods) to Department of cardiology will be screened with pocket sized US for heart disease, pericardial and pleural effusion. Examinations by expert users. Specific findings could be myocardial dysfunction as heart failure, cardiomyopathies, regional dysfunction due to ischemia, valvular dysfunction, atrial enlargement, and pleural/pericardial effusion. Changes in diagnoses, as well as medications as a result of US screening will be the endpoints. US findings will be validated against standard echocardiography in all.

3. As in 1), but examination by non-expert users compared to expert users.