Global Ultrasound Check for the Critically lll (GUCCI)—a new systematized protocol unifying point-of-care ultrasound in critically ill patients based on clinical presentation

Abstract

Ultrasound technology is an essential tool in the management of critically ill patients. Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) enables data collection from different anatomic areas to achieve the most probable diagnosis and administer the right therapy at the right time. Despite the increasing utilization of POCUS, there is still a lack of standards to establish how to use different bedside ultrasound protocols, and it is imperative to develop a unifying protocol. Thus, the aim of this paper is to establish a new systematized approach that can be adopted by all physicians to implement POCUS for critically ill patient management. To achieve this, we propose a new systematized approach—Global Ultrasound Check for the Critically Ill (GUCCI)—that integrates multiple protocols. This protocol is organized based on three syndromes (acute respiratory failure, shock, and cardiac arrest) and includes ultrasound-guided procedures.