DR WARDA SHAFIQ , PROF. DR MUNAWAR KHURSHEED , DR NOSHEEN RAZI , DR SANOBER SIKANDAR , DR SAIMA SIDDIQUI , DR PARAS LARAIB
DOI: https://doi.org/Background: Clinicians often face difficulty in quickly identifying the cause of acute dyspnea. Particularly in emergency settings. Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) offers a bedside alternative to conventional imaging. However, it is real-world data on its diagnostic patterns that remains limited. We aimed to describe the spectrum of PoCUS findings in patients with acute dyspnea and examine how these findings relate to age and gender.
Methods: We carried out a prospective observational study in the emergency department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, from February 2025 to August 2025. We enrolled 148 adult patients who presented with acute dyspnea. We then performed multi-organ PoCUS during their initial evaluation. We recorded sonographic diagnoses and analysed associations between patient demographics and ultrasound findings using chi-square testing.
Results: Pneumonia appeared as the most common diagnosis (35.8%), followed by pulmonary edema (19.6%) and pleural effusion (15.5%). Patients aged 56 to 85 years were more likely to have pulmonary edema (p = 0.04) and pneumonia (p = 0.01). Pleural effusion occurred more often in male patients (p = 0.01). We found no significant associations between age or gender and other conditions such as AECOPD/asthma, pneumothorax, ARDS/ALI, or pulmonary embolism.
Conclusion: PoCUS proved useful in identifying common causes of acute dyspnea at the bedside. Data showed pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and pleural effusion to be be the most frequently observed findings. Age and gender showed relevant associations with certain diagnoses. These results support the use of PoCUS as part of the initial assessment in the emergency department. They highlight the importance of structured training to ensure consistent practice.
