My History

I am a 38yo Internist from Colombia, married to a pediatrician for thirteen years, with a 6 yo girl and a 21mo boy.

I started reading some ultrasound books in 2017, to prepare for a possible cardiology fellowship. I stumbled onto POCUS and was amazed by the idea of a non-radiologist physician performing bedside ultrasound in the Emergency Department. I began reading protocols from USA and Europe on POCUS use with hypotension, shortness of breath and many other conditions but did not find any training in Colombia, until 2019 with a 1-day training in focused echocardiography. Since then, I borrowed an ultrasound machine from the radiology department. Although a “dinosaur”, the low-quality, gray scale gave me the first impressions of pericardial effusions, pleural effusions, B-lines and ventricular contractility.  

Continuing with training, I found Dr. Renee Dversdal, who was directing a foundational skills course for the American College of Physicians. However, the pandemic interrupted my plans. Inspired by Dr. Dversdal’s story on the The Curbsiders podcast, I immediately thought: I can do it too. My story is the same! Starting with self-learning and improving my skills, I developed self-confidence, improved diagnostic abilities helping me advance patient care. .  

Since then, I have been using POCUS daily in my emergency room. I received formal training from Spanish Society of Internal Medicine and Argentinian Critical Care Ultrasound Association; and the American College of Physicians POCUS online course. I have successfully diagnosed heart failure, small bowel obstruction, aortic dissection, valvulopathies, pneumonia, acute coronary syndrome, hydronephrosis and many others.  

In 2021 I led the first Point of Care Ultrasound Course for Internal Medicine Residents in my Hospital, and one of the firsts in my country. The course was a success and is now an integral part of the internal medicine program curriculum. Additionally, two other internists and I launched the first Colombian Internal Medicine Association (ACMI) POCUS course, instructing over a hundred specialists from every region in Colombia on the basics of ultrasound.  

As clinical epidemiology is crucial to interest, I pursued a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology, allowing me to combine research and POCUS. I have led POCUS research in my hospital and university, resulting inthe publication of five POCUS papers, including studies on septic patients, in-hospital mortality based on POCUS findings, E-point septal separation accuracy for left ventricle ejection fraction, the training program for internal medicine residents, and a case of legionella pneumonia diagnosed using POCUS. Recently, The American Journal of Emergency Medicine published our retrospective cohort of heart failure patients who received POCUS at admission, showing improved clinical times in the emergency room and reduced hospital stays.

The ability to integrate POCUS into patient-centered research and teaching has been an incredible experience for me. I believe POCUS has many opportunities for patients and healthcare providers. This revolution is just beginning; we have much more to see in the coming years.