STETHOSCOPE OF THE FUTURE: USE OF POCUS IN CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETERIZATION IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS

Abstract

The use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in intensive care units (ICU) allows continuous visualization of the needle before central venous catheterization (CVC) and guarantees accurate objective observation. Complications related to the CVC can be early or late and vary depending on the puncture site, the puncture guided by ultrasound and the doctor's experience. The objective of this literature review was to analyze the impact of the use of POCUS in reducing complications related to CVC in the ICU. A review was carried out through the VHL databases, with the articles filtered into the MEDLINE database and the PubMed database. The search for articles was carried out considering the descriptors “central venous catheterization”, “ultrasound” and “intensive care units”, using the Boolean operator “AND”. In order to apply the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 15 scientific articles were analyzed. Among these, all studies indicate the use of POCUS with a lower level of complications compared to the traditional technique with anatomical reference points.  Therefore, it is valid that endoscopic ultrasound is incorporated as one of the steps of the CVC technique. The instrument that will soon be the stethoscope of the future, fundamental to medical practice.