Book excerpt: Emergency bedside ultrasound assessment is well established for adult patients, but has only recently been introduced into everyday clinical practice for the care of pediatric patients. Pediatric Emergency Critical Care and Ultrasound is a concise, practical text which explains the principles of ultrasound, its diagnostic application in all organ systems and its use as a procedural adjunct. Both well-established and innovative applications are described, assisting the practitioner in incorporating ultrasound into daily practice, facilitating patient care and decreasing radiation exposure. Case studies and abundant illustrations enable the reader to study the appropriate techniques in detail and learn from real examples from the pediatric emergency department and intensive care unit. Pediatric Emergency Critical Care and Ultrasound is the first comprehensive bedside ultrasonography resource focusing on pediatric patients and is essential reading not only for pediatric emergency medicine subspecialists but for all emergency physicians, intensivists/critical care physicians and pediatricians.