Focused Cardiac Ultrasound (FOCUS) in Pediatric Intensive Care

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is continuing to grow in the field of pediatric critical care. The use of this invaluable bedside tool includes a range of applications dedicated to procedural practice as well as evaluations of vital organs like the heart, lung, and assessment of volume status and fluid response [1]. Pediatric critical care fellowships have begun to include comprehensive training of POCUS in their fellowship curriculum to ensure quality image acquisition and interpretation, although training is still highly variable and institution specific [2]. POCUS cardiac ultrasound, or more commonly known as focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS), can provide valuable information on cardiac function in critically ill patients in the pediatric ICU. With sufficient didactic and clinical experience, non-cardiologists are able to competently assess the heart for specific cardiac pathology and perform at the level of cardiologists [3, 4]. The following review provides a detailed explanation of the technique of FOCUS and the potential pathology that can be identified.