Paediatric point-of-care ultrasound in a resource-limited Melanesian setting: A case series

Abstract

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an imaging modality with high potential impact on the practice of paediatric emergency medicine in resource-limited settings. Aside from the obvious diagnostic utility, it facilitates safe procedural guidance at the bedside and provides haemodynamic information to guide resuscitation of shocked states. This five-patient paediatric case series illustrates the range of POCUS modalities used while working in emergency medicine at a regional referral hospital in Vanuatu. Cases described include a teenager with meningococcaemia, femoral central line insertion in an infant, ventricular septal defect in an infant, a child with a leg abscess, and a child with rheumatic heart disease.