Prehospital Point of Care Ultrasound Aides in the Diagnosis of "Shortness of Breath”: A Case Series

A large portion of our population has a history of both COPD and CHF, which can make the prehospital treatment of dyspnea more complicated. Several studies have demonstrated the increased sensitivity and specificity of point-of-care ultrasound in appropriately diagnosing CHF versus COPD with the presence or absence of B-lines. Prior institutional EMS data along with a four patient case series demonstrate the future use of pulmonary ultrasound in the prehospital setting in patients with both CHF and COPD comorbidities.