ArticleIndian journal of palliative care
Palliative Medicine Point of Care UltraSound in Cancer Patients in a Specialist Palliative Medicine Outpatient Department: A Retrospective Analysis of Diagnostic and Procedural Impact.
Article in Indian journal of palliative care. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Applications and indications of point-of-care ultrasound in emergency department encounters involving palliative care patients.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Beyond Algorithms: Preserving the Human Core of Palliative Care in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.Indian journal of palliative careArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the utilisation and clinical impact of palliative medicine POCUS (PM-POCUS) in a specialist palliative care OPD, in a tertiary cancer centre in India. Patients with advanced cancer frequently present to palliative care outpatient departments (OPDs) with symptoms such as dyspnoea and abdominal distension, often due to pleural effusion, ascites or deep vein thrombosis. Timely diagnosis of these conditions is critical for symptom relief, yet access to imaging is frequently delayed, particularly in resource-limited settings. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), performed by the treating physician, offers a rapid, bedside diagnostic tool that can guide immediate management decisions. While POCUS has demonstrated utility in inpatient and hospice environments, its application and impact in palliative OPD settings remain underexplored. Materials and Methods: We included adult cancer patients (≥18 years) who underwent PM-POCUS between September and December 2024. All scans were performed by a single consultant to ensure consistency. The primary outcome was the proportion of cases where PMPOCUS influenced clinical management; secondary outcomes included the spectrum of indications and symptom relief. Results: Ninety PM-POCUS applications were performed in 76 patients, predominantly with gastrointestinal, breast or gynaecological cancers. The most common indications were abdominal distention and dyspnoea. Ascites was diagnosed in 58 cases, pleural effusion in 16. 33% of POCUS assessments led to interventions, including paracentesis, pain blocks and pleural tapping. Conclusion: Routine integration of PM-POCUS in palliative OPD facilitated rapid diagnosis and intervention, significantly impacting clinical management and symptom relief for advanced cancer patients. These findings support broader adoption and further research on PM-POCUS in outpatient palliative care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.