A Rare Case of Hemoperitoneum Diagnosed with Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Abstract

A 68-year-old man presented with one week of vague abdominal symptoms and was found to have new ascites and pulmonary embolism for which a heparin drip was initiated. We report a case diagnosing hemoperitoneum with point of care ultrasound (POCUS). Identifying hemoperitoneum can be challenging, but POCUS can be a useful tool for its diagnosis. There is limited literature on the sonographic characteristics of hemoperitoneum. Echogenicity of fluid is not a reliable distinguisher between exudative and transudative effusions. The diagnosis of hemoperitoneum in this case was suggested by the progression of POCUS findings over time rather than sonographic characteristics by themselves.

Keywords

• POCUS
• hemoperitoneum
• Paracentesis
• Abdominal point-of-care ultrasound