POCUS to the Rescue: Spotting Ischemic Gut in Time
Dilated loops of bowel with bowel wall edema and free fluid.
Free fluid and dilated loops of bowel.
Bowel wall with comet tail artifacts indicating likely gangrenous bowel. Free fluid is present.
Bowel > 2.5cm, Tanga Sign, Bowel Wall Edema
References
Becker BA, Lahham S, Gonzales MA, Nomura JT, Bui MK, Truong TA, Stahlman BA, Fox JC, Kehrl T. A Prospective, Multicenter Evaluation of Point-of-care Ultrasound for Small-bowel Obstruction in the Emergency Department. Acad Emerg Med. 2019 Aug;26(8):921-930. doi: 10.1111/acem.13713. Epub 2019 Mar 12. PMID: 30762916.
Pourmand A, Dimbil U, Drake A, Shokoohi H. The Accuracy of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Detecting Small Bowel Obstruction in Emergency Department. Emerg Med Int. 2018 Apr 4;2018:3684081. doi: 10.1155/2018/3684081. PMID: 29850250; PMCID: PMC5904810.
Shokoohi H, Mayes KD, Peksa GD, Loesche MA, Becker BA, Boniface KS, Lahham S, Jang TB, Secko M, Gottlieb M. Multi-center analysis of point-of-care ultrasound for small bowel obstruction: A systematic review and individual patient-level meta-analysis. Am J Emerg Med. 2023 Aug;70:144-150. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.05.039. Epub 2023 Jun 1. PMID: 37290251.