Acute Upper Extremity Arterial Occlusion Diagnosed on POCUS in the Emergency Department
Derrick Huang,
Jacob Ruzicka,
Leoh León,
Latha Ganti
Affiliations
Derrick Huang
University of Central Florida Ocala Emergency Medicine Program
Jacob Ruzicka
University of Central Florida College of Medicine/HCA Emergency Medicine Residency Program of Ocala at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Ocala, FL, USA
Leoh León
University of Central Florida College of Medicine/HCA Emergency Medicine Residency Program of Ocala at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Ocala, FL, USA ; Emergency Ultrasound Director at Emergency Medicine Residency Program of Ocala at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Ocala, FL, USA
Latha Ganti
University of Central Florida College of Medicine/HCA Emergency Medicine Residency Program of Ocala at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Ocala, FL, USA ; Research Director at Emergency Medicine Residency Program of Ocala at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Ocala, FL, USA
Upper extremity acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a limb-threatening and potentially lethal pathology that is most commonly caused by vascular embolization. Outcomes of limb ischemia are time-sensitive due to the correlation between a longer time from symptom onset to intervention with a vastly higher risk of amputation. In this report, point of care ultrasound (POCUS) was utilized to rapidly diagnose a patient with a proximal right brachial artery embolic occlusion, prompting expedited surgical consultation and successful embolectomy. POCUS can provide a focused vascular examination of the limbs to expedite diagnosis of time-sensitive ALI and facilitate timely medical intervention and surgical consultation.
