Development and implementation of a point of care ultrasound curriculum at a multi-site institution

In 2014, over 60% of medical schools were incorporating point of care ultrasound (POCUS) into their curriculum. Today, over 6 years later, many more schools are teaching POCUS or are in the planning stages of implementing a POCUS curriculum. In 2019, the AAMC reported that 53 schools or over one-third of US medical schools have multi-site campuses for undergraduate medical education. Implementation of a POCUS educational initiative at a multi-site campus presents unique challenges for teaching a uniform curriculum statewide. This article will discuss the POCUS curriculum and implementation process at a large multi-site institution

Training the Trainer: Faculty From Across Multiple Specialties Show Improved Confidence, Knowledge and Skill in Point of Care Ultrasound After a Short Intervention

Objectives: Lack of faculty skill and confidence in performing and teaching point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) remains a significant barrier to implementation of a longitudinal ultrasound curriculum in undergraduate medical education. Our objective was to assess faculty comfort, knowledge and skill with performing and teaching POCUS before and after a focused workshop. Methods: This was a prospective study assessing faculty from multiple specialties. Faculty completed a pre- and post-workshop survey and ultrasound knowledge assessment, and a post-workshop objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess ability to perform POCUS. Differences between pre- and post-workshop responses were analyzed using Fisher's Exact and Wilcoxon tests, and statistical significance was accepted for p<0.05. Results: We analyzed data on 78 faculty from multiple disciplines. Faculty had a median of 7.5 years of experience with medical student teaching. Sixty-eight percent of faculty had performed <25 prior ultrasound (US) examinations. Comparing pre- to post-workshop responses, we found significant reductions in barriers to using US, and improved confidence with using, obtaining and interpreting POCUS (p<0.01). Faculty felt significantly more comfortable with the idea of teaching medical students POCUS (p<0.01). POCUS knowledge improved from 50% to 86% (p<0.01). On the post-workshop OSCE, 90% of anatomic structures were correctly identified with a median image quality of 4 out of 5. Conclusion: After attending a six-hour workshop, faculty across multiple specialties had increased confidence with using and teaching POCUS, showed improved knowledge, and were able to correctly identify pertinent anatomic structures with ultrasound while obtaining good image quality

Design and rationale of the B-lines lung ultrasound guided emergency department management of acute heart failure (BLUSHED-AHF) pilot trial

Background Medical treatment for acute heart failure (AHF) has not changed substantially over the last four decades. Emergency department (ED)-based evidence for treatment is limited. Outcomes remain poor, with a 25% mortality or re-admission rate within 30 days post discharge. Targeting pulmonary congestion, which can be objectively assessed using lung ultrasound (LUS), may be associated with improved outcomes. Methods BLUSHED-AHF is a multicenter, randomized, pilot trial designed to test whether a strategy of care that utilizes a LUS-driven treatment protocol outperforms usual care for reducing pulmonary congestion in the ED. We will randomize 130 ED patients with AHF across five sites to, a) a structured treatment strategy guided by LUS vs. b) a structured treatment strategy guided by usual care. LUS-guided care will continue until there are ≤15 B-lines on LUS or 6h post enrollment. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with B-lines ≤ 15 at the conclusion of 6 h of management. Patients will continue to undergo serial LUS exams during hospitalization, to better understand the time course of pulmonary congestion. Follow up will occur through 90 days, exploring days-alive-and-out-of-hospital between the two arms. The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03136198). Conclusion If successful, this pilot study will inform future, larger trial design on LUS driven therapy aimed at guiding treatment and improving outcomes in patients with AHF

The Use of a Novel Ultrasound Guidance System for Real-time Central Venous Cannulation: Safety and Efficacy

Introduction: Real-time ultrasound guidance is considered to be the standard of care for central venous access for non-emergent central lines. However, adoption has been slow, in part because of the technical challenges and time required to become proficient. The AxoTrack® system (Soma Access Systems, Greenville, SC) is a novel ultrasound guidance system recently cleared for human use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Methods: After FDA clearance, the AxoTrack® system was released to three hospitals in the United States. Physicians and nurse practitioners who work in the intensive care unit or emergency department and who place central venous catheters were trained to use the AxoTrack® system. De-identified data about central lines placed in living patients with the AxoTrack® system was prospectively gathered at each of the three hospitals for quality assurance purposes. After institutional review board approval, we consolidated the data for the first five months of use for retrospective review. Results: The AxoTrack® system was used by 22 different health care providers in 50 consecutive patients undergoing central venous cannulation (CVC) from September 2012 to February 2013. All patients had successful CVC with the guidance of the AxoTrack® system. All but one patient (98%) had successful cannulation on the first site attempted. There were no reported complications, including pneumothorax, hemothorax, arterial puncture or arterial cannulation. Conclusion: The AxoTrack® system was a safe and effective means of CVC that was used by a variety of health care practitioners. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):536-540.

Novel Ultrasound Guidance System for Real-time Central Venous Cannulation: Safety and Efficacy

INTRODUCTION: Real-time ultrasound guidance is considered to be the standard of care for central venous access for non-emergent central lines. However, adoption has been slow, in part because of the technical challenges and time required to become proficient. The AxoTrack(®) system (Soma Access Systems, Greenville, SC) is a novel ultrasound guidance system recently cleared for human use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). METHODS: After FDA clearance, the AxoTrack(®) system was released to three hospitals in the United States. Physicians and nurse practitioners who work in the intensive care unit or emergency department and who place central venous catheters were trained to use the AxoTrack(®) system. De-identified data about central lines placed in living patients with the AxoTrack(®) system was prospectively gathered at each of the three hospitals for quality assurance purposes. After institutional review board approval, we consolidated the data for the first five months of use for retrospective review. RESULTS: The AxoTrack(®) system was used by 22 different health care providers in 50 consecutive patients undergoing central venous cannulation (CVC) from September 2012 to February 2013. All patients had successful CVC with the guidance of the AxoTrack(®) system. All but one patient (98%) had successful cannulation on the first site attempted. There were no reported complications, including pneumothorax, hemothorax, arterial puncture or arterial cannulation. CONCLUSION: The AxoTrack(®) system was a safe and effective means of CVC that was used by a variety of health care practitioners

Assessment of Medical Students' Ability to Integrate Point-of-Care Cardiac Ultrasound Into a Case-Based Simulation After a Short Intervention

Introduction: While a large amount of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) undergraduate medical education research exists, very little assesses the effectiveness of teaching on the student's ability to utilize POCUS within a clinical context. We set out to assess the ability of pre-clinical (second year) medical students to perform and interpret a parasternal long axis (PSLA) cardiac ultrasound view, and to diagnose a pericardial effusion on POCUS in a simulated patient with hypotension. Methods: This was a prospective study assessing second-year medical students before and after focused cardiac POCUS instruction. Pre-instruction, students completed a pre-assessment and test. They then watched a short video on cardiac ultrasound technique, anatomy, and pathology. Students then participated in 10 minutes of one-on-one hands-on instruction using a simulated patient. Immediately after didactics and hands-on instruction, students in groups of two to four completed a case simulation where they performed a PSLA view, identified pathology, and made a diagnosis. Differences between pre- and post-workshop responses were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results: We analyzed data on 132 pre-clinical second-year medical students; 126 (95%) had limited to no POCUS experience prior to the workshop. Comparing pre- to post-workshop responses, we found significant improvement in students' ability to identify a pericardial effusion (46% to 69%) (p=0.002) on a PSLA cardiac view. Of the 57 student groups (132 students), 41 (72%) groups were able to adequately obtain a PSLA view on a mannequin using an ultrasound simulator without needing guidance with probe placement or maneuvering. Thirty-five (61%) student groups were able to identify a pericardial effusion and diagnose cardiac tamponade in a simulated patient with hypotension. Conclusion: After short, structured training, pre-clinical medical students, novice to cardiac POCUS, showed improved knowledge with identifying a pericardial effusion on an ultrasound image. The majority of students were able to obtain a PSLA view and diagnose cardiac tamponade in a hypotensive patient during a during a case-based simulation

Evaluation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training for Family Physicians Using Teleultrasound

Background and objectives: The goal of this study was to assess family physicians' change in knowledge and ability to perform abdominal aorta ultrasound after implementation of a novel teleultrasound curriculum. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study conducted at a single academic institution. Family physicians completed a preassessment, test, and objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE). Physicians then individually completed a standard curriculum consisting of online content and an hour-long, hands-on training session on abdominal aorta ultrasound using teleultrasound technology. Physicians then performed a minimum of 10 independent examinations over a period of 8 weeks. After physicians completed the training curriculum and 10 independent scans, we administered a postassessment, test, and OSCE. We analyzed differences between pre- and postcurriculum responses using Fisher exact and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results: Thirteen family physicians completed the curriculum. Comparing pre- to postcurriculum responses, we found significant reductions in barriers to using aorta POCUS and improved confidence in using, obtaining, and interpreting aorta POCUS (P<0.01). Knowledge improved from a median score of 70% to 90% (P<0.01), and OSCE scores improved from a median of 80% to 100% (P=0.012). Overall, 211 aorta ultrasound examinations were independently acquired with a median image quality of 4 (scale 1 to 4). Conclusions: After an 8-week teleultrasound curriculum, family physicians with minimal experience with POCUS showed improved knowledge and psychomotor skill in abdominal aorta POCUS