Veterinary POCUS: Diagnosing Canine Pericardial Effusion in Seconds

TRIAGE!!! The dog vomited and collapsed at the dog park! Pulses are poor, mucous membranes are pale, heart sounds are muffled, and the pulse quality seems to wax and wane with respirations……oh yeah, and the patient is agonal. What’s next? The patient should be rapidly assessed for causes of shock (Dr. Chalhoub is stressed), and with the initial triage and clinical findings, pericardial effusion should be high on the list (Dr. Boysen is super excited)! This 45 minute co-delivered session (by an internist and a criticalist) will cover an overview of the etiology and management of pericardial effusion and tamponade, with a particular emphasis on the use of handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to diagnose and manage the condition in small animals. Although physical examination and radiographs are helpful, ultrasound is considered the reference standard. That said, it can be difficult to differentiate pleural from pericardial effusion and to make a timely diagnosis, particularly when patients are agonal and seconds count. This does not have to be the case! Join Dr. Chalhoub (the internist with a practical and pragmatic approach to cases) and Dr. Boysen (the criticalist with a jump first and swim later approach to cases) as they work their way through the easiest way to rapidly diagnose and manage cases of pericardial effusion using handheld POCUS!