Description

Introduction

This is a one-day face-to-face course focused in acute and critical care point-of-care ultrasound in children. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is the bedside use of ultrasound to answer a specific diagnostic questions, assist with a procedure or track clinical progression. The course is addressed at health professionals working in acute paediatrics, paediatric critical care and high dependency.

CACTUS (Children’s Acute Ultrasound) is a two-part training and accreditation program modelled on CUSIC and FICE but bespoke to paediatric intensive care, emergency medicine and acute paediatrics.

The program consists of a one-day course and subsequent competency development through practical skill acquisition, mentoring and accreditation at the POCUS trainee’s home institution or on a specific fellowship.

Click here for the ICS CACTUS accreditation

Course objectives

Lung POCUS

To understand basic physics and principles of ultrasound
Probe selection and image optimisation
Performance of systematic examination of lung and pleura
Recognition of normal thoracic structures and adjacent organs
Identification of US appearances of normal aerated lung
Recognition of pleural fluid
Use of ultrasound to exclude pneumothorax

Cardiac POCUS

Performance of systematic examination of heart & vessels
Recognition of normal cardiac structures and adjacent organs
Basic assessment on volume status and myocardial contractility
Assessment of pericardial effusion

Abdominal POCUS

Performance of systematic examination of all abdominal areas
Recognition of Normal Structures (liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder)
Recognition of intra-abdominal free fluid, full bladder, bowel peristalsis

Vascular POCUS

Identification of ultrasound appearances of normal vessels
Knowledge of the benefits of longitudinal and of transverse scanning
Understand the importance of two handed advancement, and the concept of “scanning the tip”

Location

Education and Conference Centre – Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
Shelford Bottom,
Cherry Hinton Rd,
Great Shelford,
Cambridge
CB22 3FB

Google Map

Cost

Course fee £200

Information for delegates

Upon completion of the CACTUS course there would then be a one off fee to PICS (£95 for members, £190 for non-members) to proceed with accreditation. This fee covers all administration costs of the CACTUS accreditation process and producing the certificate of competency at the end of the accreditation.

Meetings with the mentor, and costs incurred for the face-to-face final assessment, are the responsibility of the trainee.

Faculty

CACTUS Faculty & Instructors

Dr Michael Griksaitis, PICU Consultant, Southampton Children’s Hospital
Dr Dusan Raffaj, PICU Consultant, Nottingham Children’s Hospital
Dr Oliver Meller-Herbert, Clinical Fellow, Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval service
Dr Francesc Torres-Andres, PICU Consultant, Royal Hospital for Children Glasgow & Paediatric ScotSTAR Consultant

Further faculty to be added.

Course director