Point-of-care ultrasound, anchoring bias, and acute pulmonary embolism: A cautionary tale and report.

Authors

Jamie Allen DO, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow
Brian Miller DO, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow
Margaret A. Vido DO, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow
Gregory A. Makar, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow
Kevin R. Roth DO, FACOEP, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2020

Abstract

Emergency physicians often rely on heuristics to facilitate clinical decisions due to the large volume of patients they see daily. Consequently, they are vulnerable to error and bias. We report the case of a 69-year-old male that presented to the emergency department (ED) with shortness of breath, productive cough, and dyspnea on exertion. One day prior to ED admission, he was diagnosed with bronchitis; however, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the ED identified acute pulmonary embolism. This case illustrates the potential dangers of anchoring bias and shows the benefits of using point-of-care ultrasound of the lungs and heart to assist in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism.

Volume

15

Issue

12

First Page

2617

Last Page

2620

ISSN

1930-0433

Published In/Presented At

Allen, J., Miller, B. R., Vido, M. A., Makar, G. A., & Roth, K. R. (2020). Point-of-care ultrasound, anchoring bias, and acute pulmonary embolism: A cautionary tale and report. Radiology case reports, 15(12), 2617–2620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2020.10.001

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

33072235

Peer Reviewed for front end display

Peer-Reviewed

Department(s)

Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine Residents, Department of Medicine, Department of Medicine Faculty

Document Type

Article