[Applications of ultrasound in the intensive care unit].

Ultrasonography has developed as an indispensable and highly versatil tool in the diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients. Nowadays intensive care medicine without the use of ultrasound is hard to imagine. The advantages of ultrasound are instantaneous availability at the bedside and high diagnostic output especially in life-threatening situations. This article focuses on special applications of ultrasound in the intensive care unit: echocardiography, transcranial Doppler sonography, abdominal ultrasonography and the imaging of pleura and lung. Furthermore, the use of ultrasound to guide interventions is discussed.