Fever and Ultrasound
Summary
The use of bedside ultrasound in patients presenting for evaluation of a febrile illness depends on the practice setting in which it is being employed. A complete ultrasound examination of patients presenting with fever might include a wide range of body regions and scanning techniques. This chapter describes the rationale for a selection of key screening ultrasound exams in febrile patients. Elderly patients with biliary sources of fever may present with advanced stages of infection, while experiencing only minimal pain and discomfort. Performing a right upper quadrant ultrasound in older patients with fever and no obvious source of infection is particularly useful. Endocarditis produces fever and non-specific constitutional symptoms in its early phases. A brief bedside ultrasound examination of the mitral, aortic and tricuspid valves is a reasonable screen for sometimes very large hyperechoic valvular vegetations. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the hands of a non-cardiologist has a high potential for diagnostic error in this setting.