Update in intensive care medicine: ultrasound in the critically ill patient. Clinical applications

Currently, ultrasound constitutes a fundamental tool in the evaluation of critically ill patients by providing real-time information at the bedside. The very first sonographic techniques implemented into intensive care unit (ICU) setting were echocardiography and cranial ultrasonography. In recent years, other ultrasound modalities, such as pleuropulmonary ultrasound, vascular ultrasound, and abdominal ultrasound, have rapidly joined the ICU setting. All these techniques contribute to improving the diagnostic and therapeutic process of different diseases and conditions in critically ill patients. The impact of the addition of ultrasound to the ICU setting not only touches the clinical setting but also the educational and research backgrounds. In this supplement of Medicina Intensiva, a series of review articles related to the clinical application of different ultrasound modalities have been compiled. The topics of discussion go from the evaluation of shock using ultrasound to the utility of ultrasound in patients with ECMO or the utility of ultrasonography in common ICU procedures. The fundamental objective of these articles is to provide practical information, aimed at all health professionals treating critically ill patients on a routine basis, on the applications and future challenges of ultrasound.