1.Point-of-care ultrasound versus radiology department pelvic ultrasound on emergency department length of stay
Wilson P. SEAN ; Connolly KIAH ; Lahham SHADI ; Subeh MOHAMMAD ; Fischetti CHANEL ; Chiem ALAN ; Aspen ARIEL ; Anderson CRAIG ; Fox C. JOHN
World Journal of Emergency Medicine 2016;7(3):178-182
BACKGROUND: The study aimed to compare the time to overall length of stay (LOS) for patients who underwent point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) versus radiology department ultrasound (RDUS).METHODS: This was a prospective study on a convenience sample of patients who required pelvic ultrasound imaging as part of their emergency department (ED) assessment.RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 194 patients who were on average 32 years-old. Ninety-eight (51%) patients were pregnant (<20 weeks). Time to completion of RDUS was 66 minutes longer than POCUS (95%CI 60–73,P<0.01). Patients randomized to the RDUS arm experienced a 120 minute longer ED length of stay (LOS) (95%CI 66–173,P<0.01)CONCLUSION: In patients who require pelvic ultrasound as part of their diagnostic evaluation, POCUS resulted in a signifi cant decrease in time to ultrasound and ED LOS.