[West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(4):315.]

This images case demonstrates the utility of bedside focused ultrasound performed by the Emergency Physician in making the accurate diagnosis of an impacted urethral stone. [West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(6):515]

In this case presentation, a patient who presented to the Emergency Department with hemoptysis and shortness of breath was found to have a ventricular septal defect and right ventricular strain on bedside ultrasound. This case leads to a discussion of Eisenmenger Syndrome, a potentially ominous development in a patient with these clinical and ultrasound findings. [West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(6):516]

This case study describes a patient who suffered blunt force trauma to the scrotum. Use of bedside emergency ultrasound facilitated early diagnosis of a ruptured testicle and allowed for prompt urological consultation and timely surgical repair. The utility of bedside emergency ultrasound in the evaluation of testicular trauma, as well as the outcome of our case, is discussed here. [West J Emerg Med 2013;14(2):127-129.]

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare disease process with no clear etiology, although it is thought to be related to changes in intrathoracic pressure causing chest pain and dyspnea. We present a case of a 17-year-old male with acute chest pain evaluated initially by bedside ultrasound, which showed normal lung sliding but poor visualization of the parasternal and apical cardiac views due to significant air artifact, representing air in the thoracic cavity. The diagnosis was later verified by chest radiograph. We present a case report on ultrasound-diagnosed pneumomediastinum, and we review the diagnostic modalities to date. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(2):321–324.]

[West J Emerg Med 2013;14(2):130-131.]

A 57-year-old man presented to our emergency department with altered mental status. He had a past medical history significant for cirrhosis and previous placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). On cardiac auscultation, a new heart murmur and an unexpected degree of cardiac ectopy were noted. On the 12-lead electrocardiogram, the patient was noted to have multiple premature atrial contractions, corroborating the irregular heart rhythm on physicalexam. A focused bedside emergency ultrasound of the heart was then performed. This exam revealed an apparent foreign body in the right atrium. It appeared as if the patient’s TIPS had migrated from the heart into the right atrium. This case, as well as the literature describing thisunusual complication of TIPS placement, is reviewed in this case report. [West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(6):525-526]

[West J Emerg Med 2013;14(2):121-122.]