UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Critical Care

Title: The CORE Scan

Posted: 12/10/2013 by Mike Winters, MD (Updated: 12/2/2023)
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The Concentrated Overview of Resuscitative Efforts (CORE) Scan

Ultrasound has become an essential tool in the evaluation and management of the crashing patient.
The CORE scan utilizes emergency bedside ultrasonography to systematically evaluate and resuscitate the rapidly deteriorating patient.
Essentially steps in the CORE scan include:
- Endotracheal tube assessment
- Lung assessment
  - Pneumothorax?
  - Pleural effusion?
  - Hemothorax?
- Cardiac assessment
  - Pericardial effusion?
  - Massive PE?
  - Estimated ejection fraction?
- Aorta assessment
  - Abdominal aortic aneurysm?
  - Aortic dissection?
- IVC assessment
- Abdominal assessment
  - Intraperitoneal fluid?

Wu TS. The CORE Scan. Crit Care Clin 2014; 30:151-75.