Possibilities of ultrasonography in diagnosing causes of dyspnea in palliative care cancer patients

Dyspnea is an ailment which is relatively frequently reported by cancer patients, and it can be difficult todetermine the cause of the symptom at home hospice. Thanks to the application of mobile ultrasoundscanner, the physician can often determine the cause of dyspnea during a home visit, which makes itunnecessary to carry out diagnostic procedures at the hospital. The article presents two cases of femalepatients in whom the application of at-home ultrasound proved to be useful in determining the cause ofdyspnea. The first patient was diagnosed with pericardial tamponade at home — pericardial cavity puncturewas performed at the hospital — while in the case of the second patient, pneumonia was both diagnosedand monitored at home with the use of ultrasonography