Vi Am Dinh

Effects of Ultrasound Implementation on Physical Examination Learning and Teaching During the First Year of Medical Education

Increasing emphasis has been placed on point‐of‐care ultrasound in medical school. The overall effects of ultrasound curriculum implementation on the traditional physical examination skills of medical students are still unknown. We studied the effects on the Objective Standardized Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores of year 1 medical students before and after ultrasound curriculum implementation.

Medical Student Core Clinical Ultrasound Milestones A Consensus Among Directors in the United States

Many medical schools are implementing point‐of‐care ultrasound in their curricula to help augment teaching of the physical examination, anatomy, and ultimately clinical management. However, point‐of‐care ultrasound milestones for medical students remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to formulate a consensus on core medical student clinical point‐of‐care ultrasound milestones across allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the United States. Directors who are leading the integration of ultrasound in medical education (USMED) at their respective institutions were surveyed.

Diagnosis of Necrotizing Faciitis with Bedside Ultrasound: the STAFF Exam

The early diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis is often ambiguous. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, while sensitive and specific modalities, are often time consuming or unavailable. We present a case of necrotizing fasciitis that was rapidly diagnosed using bedside ultrasound evaluating for subcutaneous thickening, air, and fascial fluid (STAFF). We propose the STAFF ultrasound exam may be beneficial in the rapid evaluation of unstable patients with consideration of necrotizing fasciitis, in a similar fashion to the current use of a focused assessment with sonography for trauma exam in the setting of trauma.

Real-time Sonographically Guided Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy Using a Long-Axis Approach Compared to the Landmark Technique

Sonographic evaluation of neck anatomy before performing percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) has been shown to predict PDT success. In this study, we compared the real‐time, long‐axis, in‐plane approach to the traditional bronchoscopically guided landmark technique.

Ultrasound Integration in Undergraduate Medical Education: Comparison of Ultrasound Proficiency Between Trained and Untrained Medical Students

The benefit of formal ultrasound implementation in undergraduate medical education remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound curriculum implementation during year 1 medical student physical examination teaching on the ultrasound proficiency of medical students.

Integration of Ultrasound in Undergraduate Medical Education at the California Medical Schools A Discussion of Common Challenges and Strategies From the UMeCali Experience

Since the first medical student ultrasound electives became available more than a decade ago, ultrasound in undergraduate medical education has gained increasing popularity. More than a dozen medical schools have fully integrated ultrasound education in their curricula, with several dozen more institutions planning to follow suit. Starting in June 2012, a working group of emergency ultrasound faculty at the California medical schools began to meet to discuss barriers as well as innovative approaches to implementing ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education. It became clear that an ongoing collaborative could be formed to discuss barriers, exchange ideas, and lend support for this initiative. The group, termed Ultrasound in Medical Education, California (UMeCali), was formed with 2 main goals: to exchange ideas and resources in facilitating ultrasound education and to develop a white paper to discuss our experiences. Five common themes integral to successful ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education are discussed in this article: (1) initiating an ultrasound education program; (2) the role of medical student involvement; (3) integration of ultrasound in the preclinical years; (4) developing longitudinal ultrasound education; and (5) addressing competency.

A Cost-effective, Gelatin-Based Phantom Model for Learning Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Procedures of the Head and Neck

The rise in popularity of ultrasound imaging has seen a corresponding increase in demand for effective training tools such as phantom models. They are especially useful for teaching and practice of invasive procedures, such as fine‐needle aspiration of lesions of the head and neck. We have created 2 gelatin models out of inexpensive, commonly available materials that can be used in sequence to learn head and neck fine‐needle aspiration. Fundamental skills can be learned first on the flat, rectangular model, whereas the second, cylindrical model more closely represents human anatomy and can be used to develop more advanced technique.

Head and Neck Ultrasound Education—A Multimodal Educational Approach in the Predoctoral Setting A Pilot Study

With the increased implementation of ultrasound in medical education, it is important to continually improve instructional methods. In this study, we demonstrate that by augmenting the traditional methods of instructor demonstration and student practice on a healthy volunteer with additional modalities, such as didactic presentation, simulated pathologic cases, and simulated procedures, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of and confidence in ultrasound technique and pathology.

Diagnosis of Mondor’s Disease in the Emergency Department with Bedside Ultrasound

Mondors disease is a rare condition characterized by a superficial thrombophlebitis that can occur in the thoracoabdominal and genital areas. Findings with ultrasound in penile Mondors disease are readily measurable: a noncompressible penile vein without flow and absence of tears of the corpus cavernosum or tunica albuginea, hematoma, or evidence of fracture of the penis. We present a case of Mondors disease, diagnosed with bedside ultrasound, in the emergency department. Ultrasonography is readily available within the emergency department, and we suggest its use in aiding diagnosis of genitourinary disorders such as Mondors disease.

Intra-ocular mass diagnosed with bedside ultrasound

Patients with ocular masses are rarely diagnosed in the emergency department (ED). Appropriate diagnosis and ophthalmologic follow up is necessary to delay complications. However, in the ED, the fundoscopic examination can be limited. Ocular ultrasound has been shown to be a feasible and readily accessible way to diagnose ocular disorders in the ED. We report a case of a 39-year-old female who presented to the ED with headache, neurological complaints, and vision changes. A bedside ocular ultrasound was performed in the ED which showed a large intra-ocular mass. Our patient received urgent ophthalmologic consultation and was admitted for further work-up revealing an ocular melanoma. Ocular malignant melanomas have a high mortality rate, especially with delay in diagnosis and metastasis. This case demonstrates that bedside ultrasound is a fast and reliable investigation modality to diagnose ocular masses. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2014;21: 48-50)