Uso de la ecografía clínica en atención primaria: disnea

Abstract

Dyspnea is a symptom frequently consulted in primary care and has a wide range of etiologies (respiratory, cardiovascular, obesity, etc.). It causes 3-4 million emergency consultations per year. Approximately 9-13% of the ambulatory population reports dyspnea, getting up to 37% in adults aged ≥ 70 years.

In primary care, where complementary tests are limited, clinical ultrasound is performed at bedside by the doctor directly responsible for the patient, as a complement to a thorough medical assessment and physical examination, that facilitates the early diagnosis of patients with dyspnea as well as their follow-up.

In various studies, it has been shown that lung ultrasound in the hands of a well-trained operator has greater diagnostic accuracy.