Dyspnea in pregnancy. Can POCUS be the game changer?
Abstract
Dyspnea is a common symptom during pregnancy, but it can present a diagnostic challenge. While it may often be attributed to physiological changes it may also signal serious underlying conditions such as asthma crisis, infection, pulmonary edema (PEd), pulmonary embolism, and amniotic fluid embolism. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a swift and effective bedside modality for assessing acute or critical medical conditions. It can be used as an alternative or alongside traditional formal ultrasound conducted by a radiology-cardiology service. This review explores the role of POCUS in the parturient experiencing shortness of breath, highlighting the potential value of maternal cardiopulmonary POCUS in obstetric anesthesia, facilitating timely treatment and providing immediate differential diagnosis in potentially unstable patients. As an example, a case is discussed involving a sudden onset of PEd and loss of consciousness in a 48-year-old patient who underwent a category-1 cesarean section under general anesthesia. POCUS identified severely decreased global systolic function and confirmed pulmonary edema through the presence of B-Kerley lines, providing a swift guidance for intraoperative inotropic support and fluid management while excluding other causes of pathological dyspnea in pregnancy.
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