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The rising impact of perioperative sonography is mainly based on mobile high quality ultrasound systems. Relevant bleedings or functional limitations of the abdomen are easy to identify with sonography. The FAST-Concept can be the first access to continue proceedings in ultrasound examination of the abdomen. This paper demonstrates some important ultrasound examinations of the abdomen. The clinical main issues are traumatic and atraumatic bleedings of heart, liver and spleen with haemodynamic instability and functional limitations of abdominal organs like bile cystitis, gastrointestinal passage disability and obstructive uropathy. Just outside of the normal working time the ultrasound experts are often not promptly available. The demonstrated techniques allow in acute medicine to make a diagnosis and to decide fast in critical situations. Perspective in view of the many benefits and possibilities, point-of-care ultrasound will be a high-ranking skill in the field of anaesthesia, emergency medicine or intensive care., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The anesthetist is increasingly faced with more complex operations in combination with an aging patient population characterized by pre-existing conditions. Acute right heart failure is often not recognized as the cause of cardiopulmonary insufficiency. Echocardiography has emerged as an important diagnostic tool. Not only perioperatively and in the intensive care unit, transesophageal (TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) allow the diagnosis of right heart failure at bedside, promptly and with low invasiveness. Possible causes of right heart insufficiency on the level of afterload, preload and contractility can be clarified. Life-saving immediate measures can be initiated and, in addition, the success of the therapy can be visualized virtually "live". If indicated, a peri-/intraoperative echocardiographic examination also has a direct influence on therapy control. With a focused cardiac examination crucial information can be gained and the outcome of the patient can be positively influenced by adapted therapy control. By using standard ultrasound views, right heart failure can be detected as the cause of hemodynamic instability., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass keine Interessenkonflikte vorliegen., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The use of ultrasonography in perioperative medicine has developed rapidly within the last decade. Today ultrasonic techniques are established methods for peripheral and central venous access as well as for regional anaesthesia. However, transthoracic ultrasonography by non-cardiologists has not yet been routinely established perioperatively, in intensive care medicine or in emergency medicine. With the current module 4: Cardiosonography of the DGAI-certified seminar series in Anaesthesia Focussed Sonography (AFS) it is intended to provide a basis for a quality assured training and implementation of transthoracic sonography in anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and emergency medicine., (© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.)

Modul 2 will provide the theory and practical training of the sonographically guided puncture of central and peripheral veins and arteries. In doing so patients of all age groups are taken into consideration. Combined with the content of the other modules this series of workshops, which was initiated by our society, might be a first step in defining a new core competency of our specialty. The confident use of ultrasound in vascular puncture sharpens our dedicated professional competence and will contribute to continuously improve the quality and safety of anaesthesiologic patient care., (© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.)

Understanding the principles of wave physics paves the way for appropriate utilization and interpretation of sonography. In module 1 of the course series "Anesthesia Focused Sonography", the course participants will learn by lectures and practical training, how ultrasonic waves emerge, how they travel in human tissue, and how a picture is generated from their echo signals. Furthermore, the technology of an ultrasound system and the development of artifacts will be demonstrated; moreover, the Doppler effect and its implementation into current sonographic procedures will be presented as a central theme., (© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.)

TEE is one of the most versatile modalities for diagnosing and guiding treatment of critically ill patients due to its ease of use at patient bedside, the high quality imaging, the rapid availability of diagnostic information and its low complication rate (2.6%). Numerous studies habe shown a significant diagnostic (67%) and therapeutic (36%) impact on patient management in critically ill patients, particularly in cardiological and cardiosurgical populations.

Various sonographic techniques that are implemented in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for cardiovascular monitoring, allow for an extensive cardiac structure and function analysis. Major priority is assigned to the judgement on myocardial contractility, ventricular filling end ejection, valvular morphology and structure, as well as diagnosis of the ascending and descending aorta. Correct interpretation of the imaged structures increases diagnostic safety, but is built on high requirements on the investigator. On these grounds, this article aims to inform you on the clinical applications of TEE.