Critical Care and ICU Imaging

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the appropriate use and relative strengths of key imaging modalities (e.g., conventional radiography, CT, ultrasound) and apply them effectively in the diagnosis of emergent and life-threatening issues encountered in critically ill patients.
• Adapt the latest best practices to optimize the diagnostic yield of imaging studies performed on these patients.
• Recognize various malpositioned tubes, lines, and monitoring devices on chest radiography; identify emergent gastrointestinal and genitourinary imaging findings; recognize emergent or acute neurologic patient changes and findings; and identify circumstances where cross-sectional imaging may be indicated.
• Apply ICU imaging techniques for critical care and patient management decisions concerning malpositioned devices, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), pulmonary embolism with right ventricular strain (PERT), abdominal complications, and stroke alerts.
• Understand the latest imaging innovations in pulmonary, abdominal, and neurologic imaging and utilize them effectively to further improve critical care in the ICU.