Portable Ultrasound Devices in the Pre-Hospital Setting: A Review of Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness and Guidelines

Portable Ultrasound Devices in the Pre-Hospital Setting: A Review of Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness and Guidelines Book. 2015 05 29Authors: Abstract Emergency physicians often rely on technology such as portable ultrasound (US) to assist in decision making when treating patients in critical condition. Portable US devices, also referred to as point-of-care US (POCUS), mobile US, bedside US, and encompassing specific procedures such as focused-assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST), comprise a range of technologies including handheld devices, conventional mobile bedside devices and other devices with mobility. Examples include PRIMEDIC HandyScan, V-scan (GE Healthcare), and SonoSite devices. Portable US devices are lauded for being lightweight, small, and durable, and for providing high quality, high-resolution imaging at a lower cost than conventional US. Their application in emergency medicine is widespread as the operation of US is non-invasive, inexpensive and not associated with radiation exposure. Portable US is primarily used for diagnostic purposes, but therapeutic uses (e.g., US guided pericardiocentesis) have been documented. They have shown value in the context of limited resources and expertise such as rural or remote settings where treatment may be improved by transmitting images to central sites. Another out-of-hospital context that portable US has shown potential for is the pre-hospital setting. Proposed benefits of using portable ...
Source: Rural Remote Health - Category: Rural Health Tags: Book Source Type: research