Lung ultrasound in the critically ill (LUCI): A translational discipline
Daniel A Lichtenstein, Manu L N G Malbrain1
1Intensive Care Unit and High Care Burn Unit, Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen, ZNA Stuivenberg, Antwerp, Belgium. manu.malbrain@uzbrussel.be.
Insights
Lung ultrasound has evolved into a crucial tool for critical care medicine, offering a holistic approach. This review explores the expanding applications of lung ultrasound as a translational discipline beyond traditional radiology.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Critical Care Medicine
- Translational Science
Background:
- Historically, ultrasound use was fragmented across medical specialties.
- Radiologists initially recognized ultrasound's potential but largely confined its use to radiology departments.
- The development of portable ultrasound machines enabled bedside use in critical care settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolution of ultrasound as a translational discipline.
- To highlight the expanding role of lung ultrasound in emergency and critical care medicine.
- To explore the possibilities of lung ultrasound as a holistic diagnostic tool.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical development and adoption of ultrasound in medicine.
- Analysis of the transition of ultrasound from specialized departments to bedside critical care.
- Examination of lung ultrasound applications in various clinical scenarios.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound has transcended traditional disciplinary boundaries.
- Critical Care Ultrasound (CCUS) emerged with the advent of portable machines.
- Lung ultrasound presents significant potential as a translational and holistic discipline.
Conclusions:
- Lung ultrasound is a vital, evolving tool in critical care.
- Its applications extend beyond traditional radiology, benefiting multiple specialties.
- Embracing lung ultrasound enhances diagnostic capabilities at the bedside.
Abstract:
In the early days of ultrasound, it was not a translational discipline. The heart was claimed by cardiologists, with others, such as gynaecologists, urologists and vascular surgeons claiming their part while the rest was given to radiologists. Only recently, ultrasound transgressed and crossed the usual borders between the different disciplines, such as emergency and critical care medicine. The advent of portable machines in the early 1980s, allowed the critical care physician to perform bedside ultrasound, and the development of whole body critical care ultrasound (CCUS) was born. It may sound cynical that radiologists were the first to state that diagnostic sonography was truly the next stethoscope: poorly utilized by many but understood by few. Exactly the same radiologists then abandoned the use of ultrasound outside the radiology department, leaving a vast domain to other disciplines eager to welcome the modern stethoscope. In this review, we list the possibilities of lung ultrasound as a translational holistic discipline.
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