"A tool I use 4 or 5 times a day": Dr. Thibaud Auger's day-to-day ultrasound experience

In Dr. Thibaud Auger's office, the ultrasound machine has become an everyday tool.

"I use it four to five times a day, when there's a real question." Since he started using the echOpen probe, this young general practitioner has integrated ultrasound into his practice as a matter of course: it's fast, mobile, and accessible.

It helps him refine his diagnoses, adjust his prescriptions, and boost his clinical confidence. What does it change? The consultation, the examination, the doctor's posture—a profound transformation that gives general practitioners direct access to images once again.

A use rooted in reality: pragmatic, mobile, clinical

Dr. Auger is far from taking a dramatic or interventionist approach. His use of the device is restrained: "For me, it's really just for ultrasound scans at the moment, nothing more." In two minutes, he turns it on, locates the problem, checks it, and makes a decision. "I have a base of 20 consultations per day. I use ultrasound in 4 or 5 of them, when there is a real question."

His approach focuses on the lungs, abdomen, follow-ups... What comes up often? "Quick emergency consultations." Those where you have to work fast, but well. Those where uncertainty can be costly. Those where ultrasound becomes a silent ally.

A profound transformation: ultrasound changes the way we see things

"It will change my clinical examination," he says. Because what we see today, we expect tomorrow. What we missed yesterday, we look for more carefully the next time. Ultrasound, here, acts as a school for the eye. It pushes us to improve, to systematize, to build more rigorous routines.

And it has a profound effect: "It challenges my clinical approach." Every image is a memory. Every doubt becomes a learning opportunity. "I saw that last time, so I think about it sooner." It's a kind of virtuous circle, where curiosity becomes competence.

A conviction: "Ultrasound does not replace clinical examination, it complements it."

From the very first minutes of our conversation, the tone is set. Dr. Auger is a clinician: "I am very committed to clinical examination. Ultrasound does not replace it, it complements it. Otherwise, it's not in the right order." For him, there is no question of skipping steps. Listening, observation, and palpation remain the foundation. But he also knows that this foundation can be made more robust with the help of imaging.

He adds: "I start with a clinical examination to form an initial opinion. If I still have doubts, I perform an ultrasound." These doubts then become fertile ground. The ultrasound confirms or refutes a hypothesis. It does not break the reasoning process, but refines it. This dynamic between actions and observations structures a continuous learning process.

Ultrasound in cases of uncertainty: two clinical cases where everything hinges on the image

At Dr. Thibaud Auger's practice, ultrasound is not reserved for spectacular cases. It is used where general medicine is most demanding: when decisions must be made without certainty, treatment must be provided without overdoing it, and choices must be made without excess. In these moments, imaging becomes a tool for nuance. Two cases, among others, illustrate this decisive role.

First case: a young patient with dyspnea.

"There's a young boy I saw not long ago. I was unsure whether it was asthma or pneumonia. He hadn't had asthma for a long time, so it seemed a bit expensive for that diagnosis. I did an ultrasound... and saw Kerley lines. I thought to myself: OK, let's start him on antibiotics and see what the biopsy shows."

Result: the next day's biology confirms the infection.

"It was really interesting. I liked it. There was a focus. What I still lack is perhaps a systematic approach, but in this case, I had a compatible clinical picture and ultrasound findings that confirmed it. Okay, go ahead and prescribe. You can adjust it later."

Second case: two suspected cases of atypical pneumonia.

"I had two patients who had a small effusion. I suspected they had atypical pneumonia. [...] I found small peripulmonary effusions in both of them. I thought to myself: if it was just bronchitis, it didn't seem to add up."

He then decides to treat it.

"That pretty much convinced me. If I hadn't seen any clear signs, I probably wouldn't have put them on antibiotics."

What does he get out of it? A kind of balance between clinical caution and visual support:

"I use it to restrict myself... or to confirm antibiotics if I'm considering them. The ultrasound adds nuance to the decision. It provides additional arguments."

"It's a zoom tool in a specialty that is very macro."

General medicine is often perceived as vague, versatile, and broad. But Dr. Auger sees it as a unique opportunity: "It gives us a tool to zoom in on the micro level, which we sometimes lack." The ultrasound scanner becomes a point of focus. It allows us to see details without losing sight of the big picture.

"It breaks down barriers a little," he says. Between specialties, between disciplines, between levels of technical expertise. And above all, it gives general practitioners back the ability to act on their own. Without waiting three weeks for an echo. Without feeling illegitimate.

Ultrasound as a reflective, educational, and evolving tool

What is striking about his testimony is the way in which ultrasound also becomes an object of continuous learning. He says: "I don't freeze the images, I don't have the reflex yet. But one day, I'd like to." He is already planning to compare his scans, review them, and improve his anatomy, scanning techniques, and localization skills.

He draws parallels with dermoscopy, another visual tool he taught himself. "I take photos, I read up on it, I practice." The same logic applies to ultrasound: "It makes me want to look at the flashcards [ echOpen training cards] and ask myself questions."

To further his knowledge, he also takes specialized training courses alongside his self-study, since he discovered ultrasound in his clinical practice, outside of his university curriculum, and chose to proactively train in this field.

The final word? He sums it up perfectly:

 "Echo is a plus. A significant plus. And in many countries, it is already widely used."

And in Dr. Auger's hands, this extra becomes a lever for care, learning, and transformation.