Abordaje de la disnea por ultrasonido: cambiando el paradigma desde la consulta externa hasta el paciente crítico

Abstract

Dyspnea is one of the most common reasons for visiting the medical facilities including emergency rooms, inpatient care, intensive care units, and outpatient clinics. The use of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) has gained increasing relevance in the evaluation of this symptom. POCUS allows for timely, rapid, accurate, and reproducible diagnoses, offering crucial insights into the underlying causes of dyspnea. Findings can be categorized based on reverberation patterns, such as A-lines or B-lines, and whether one or both thoracic areas are affected. In this review, we present two clinical cases—one from the emergency department and another from outpatient care. Both patients presented with dyspnea but had distinct diagnostic pathways. Through these cases, we illustrate the critical role of POCUS in refining differential diagnoses and guiding clinical decision-making in dyspneic patients