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Possibilities of ultrasonography in diagnosing causes of dyspnea in palliative care cancer patients
Affiliations- Oddział Anestezjologii i Intensywnej Terapii, Mazowiecki Szpital Wojewódzki w Siedlcach, Poland
- Siedleckie Hospicjum Domowe dla Dzieci, ul. 11 listopada 23, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
- Katedra i Klinika Chorób Wewnętrznych, Chorób Tkanki Łącznej i Geriatrii Gdańskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego, Poland
open access
Abstract
Dyspnea is an ailment which is relatively frequently reported by cancer patients, and it can be difficult to
determine the cause of the symptom at home hospice. Thanks to the application of mobile ultrasound
scanner, the physician can often determine the cause of dyspnea during a home visit, which makes it
unnecessary to carry out diagnostic procedures at the hospital. The article presents two cases of female
patients in whom the application of at-home ultrasound proved to be useful in determining the cause of
dyspnea. The first patient was diagnosed with pericardial tamponade at home — pericardial cavity puncture
was performed at the hospital — while in the case of the second patient, pneumonia was both diagnosed
and monitored at home with the use of ultrasonography.
Abstract
Dyspnea is an ailment which is relatively frequently reported by cancer patients, and it can be difficult to
determine the cause of the symptom at home hospice. Thanks to the application of mobile ultrasound
scanner, the physician can often determine the cause of dyspnea during a home visit, which makes it
unnecessary to carry out diagnostic procedures at the hospital. The article presents two cases of female
patients in whom the application of at-home ultrasound proved to be useful in determining the cause of
dyspnea. The first patient was diagnosed with pericardial tamponade at home — pericardial cavity puncture
was performed at the hospital — while in the case of the second patient, pneumonia was both diagnosed
and monitored at home with the use of ultrasonography.
Keywords
lung ultrasound, point-of-care ultrasonography, palliative care, dyspnea
About this articleTitle
Possibilities of ultrasonography in diagnosing causes of dyspnea in palliative care cancer patients
Journal
Palliative Medicine in Practice
Issue
Article type
Case report
Pages
205-211
Published online
2020-08-10
Page views
747
Article views/downloads
464
DOI
Bibliographic record
Palliat Med Pract 2020;14(3):205-211.
Keywords
lung ultrasound
point-of-care ultrasonography
palliative care
dyspnea
Authors
Jolanta Cylwik
Natalia Buda
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