The logo of our training center, the Cercle des
Echographistes d’Urgence et de Réanimation Francophones
(could be roughly translated as “Circle of Emergency
Ultrasound for Resuscitation in French- speaking
countries”). Pronounced surf. The benefits of this
nonprofit association are used for spreading simple
critical ultrasound development throughout the world.
The bat is the only mammal who uses ultrasound, since 55
millions years ago. Apart from the popular dolphin (known
for being rather smart), one bird also uses ultra- sounds: the
gray-rumped swift (the French word for swift is martinet), a
really rare bird, who can fly while sleeping among others
and was awarded Bird of the Year in 2003. For comparison,
the bull has no ultrasound equipment for distinguishing the
toreador from the cape – a providence for the toreador and
the joyful crowd. Some people fear the bat, a nice and
useful animal in the vast majority of cases. The snake in
revenge killed many human beings but has been chosen as
the symbol of medicine. For more details on this animal
who looks like no other, see www. ceurf.net. The CEURF
trains English-speaking colleagues but has kept its native
label (just consider that the “F” became “foreign”). Small
groups profit from a bedside training. The critically ill
patient meanwhile profits from comprehensive ultrasound
examinations, providing an ethical dimension to the
CEURF.