Portable ultrasound brings help for heart failure patients

Detecting fluid retention in patients early is important to prevent their heart failure from getting worse. Nurses who are trained in the use of handheld pocket ultrasound devices can dispense diuretic drugs more precisely. These medications prevent harmful fluid retention in patients with heart failure. Researchers have published a study showing that cardiac nurses who have learned to use pocket ultrasound devices can accurately calculate fluid retention both in the pleural cavities (between the two membranes surrounding the lungs) and the inferior vena cava of heart failure patients.