POCUSUpdated on August 20, 2026
Sudden dyspnea in the emergency department — thoracic POCUS
Patient
Patient, male, 54 years old, smoker, sudden-onset dyspnea.
Clinical indication
Sudden dyspnea associated with pleuritic chest pain, without time for an initial chest X-ray.
Technique
Bedside lung assessment with a linear transducer, checking for lung sliding, B-lines, and lung point across multiple thoracic windows.
Ultrasound findings
Absent lung sliding and B-lines in the right hemithorax, with identification of a lung point at the mid-axillary line.
Differential diagnosis
Pneumothorax · Mainstem intubation (in the context of an advanced airway) · Extensive bullous disease
Final diagnosis
Pneumothorax confirmed by identification of the lung point.
Key points
- The lung point is the most specific finding to confirm pneumothorax at the bedside.
- Absent lung sliding alone has high sensitivity but is not specific.
- POCUS enables faster therapeutic decisions than conventional radiography in this scenario.
Illustrative, anonymized case for educational purposes only. Does not represent a real patient and does not replace individualized medical evaluation.
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