Medicine
Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Pleural Effusion
Quick fact
Studies show point-of-care lung ultrasound detects pleural effusion with a sensitivity of ~94% and specificity of ~98%, outperforming chest X-ray and rivaling CT scans.
Why this is interesting
A patient is breathless in the emergency room; a doctor places a small probe on the chest and instantly sees dark fluid—no X-ray needed. How is a simple ultrasound so reliable?