A National Survey of Prehospital Care Services of United Kingdom for Use, Governance and Perception of Prehospital Point of Care Ultrasound

Salman Naeem, MBBS, Dip IMC, PG Cert Medical ultrasound; Christopher Edmunds, MBChB, FRCEM, FFICM, FIMC2; Thomas Hirst, MA, MBBS, MSc, Dip IMC; Julia Williams, PhD, BSc FCPara FEA4; Amir Alzarrad; James Ronaldson; Jon Barrat, RAMC, FRCEM, FIMC, DMCC; East Anglian Air Ambulance Research, Audit, Innovation and Development (RAID) Group; PreHospital Trainee Operated Research Network (PHOTON) – Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a common practice in prehospital care over the last 10 years. There is lack of literature on its use and governance structure in United Kingdom (UK) prehospital care services.

Hickam’s Dictum Incarnate: A Case of Simultaneous Left-Sided Urolithiasis and Ruptured Iliac Artery Aneurysm  

Melissa Bouwsema, MD; Colin Bell, MD – A 51-year-old man with a history of nephrolithiasis presented to the Emergency Department after a sudden onset of left-sided groin pain and syncope. At presentation, he described his pain as similar to prior renal colic episodes. At his initial assessment, point of care ultrasound (POCUS) was used, which revealed findings consistent with obstructive renal stones, as well as a substantially enlarged left iliac artery.

Sonographic Crepitus, a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Finding  

Brian Kohen, MD; Michael Halperin, MD MPH; Gloria Felix, MD; Trevor Dixon, MD; Michelle Montenegro, MD; Fenil Patel, MD – Necrotizing fasciitis is a life-threatening polymicrobial skin and soft tissue infection that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can result in an increase in morbidity and mortality [1]. Necrotizing fasciitis has historically been a clinical diagnosis. Patients with a high clinical suspicion for necrotizing fasciitis generally receive antibiotics and undergo emergent surgical debridement.

Ultrasonography in Acute Kidney Injury

Andrew A. Moses, MD MA; Hilda E. Fernandez, MD – Advances in the use of ultrasonography can enhance our ability to better characterize acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is a clinical syndrome characterized by a rapid decrease in kidney excretory function with the accumulation of products of nitrogen metabolism and other clinically unmeasured waste products, and may proceed to include clinical manifestations including decreased urine output, development of metabolic acidosis, and electrolyte abnormalities.

POCUS in Intensive Care Nephrology

Randi Connor-Schuler, MD; Jonathan Suarez, MD – Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant problem for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), both due to the high incidence and associated mortality with rates of AKI requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) of over 5%, and mortality rates with AKI of over 60%.

Integrative Volume Status Assessment

David Kearney, MD; Nathaniel Reisinger, MD; Sadichhya Lohani, MBBS – Volume status assessment is a critical but challenging clinical skill and is especially important for the management of patients in the emergency department, intensive care unit, and dialysis unit where accurate intravascular assessment is necessary to guide appropriate fluid management. Assessment of volume status is subjective and can vary from provider to provider, posing clinical dilemmas.

Pilot Project: Does formal bedside training of medical students with a FAST exam increase their knowledge and comfort level with ultrasound use in a community family medicine practice setting?

by Rimi Sambi, MD and Heather Sawula, MD; Brent Wolfrom, MD; and Joseph Newbigging, MD

As point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) becomes increasingly popular and a standard of care in many clinical settings, the interest for integration in medical undergraduate curriculum is also growing. This project aims to assess whether formal bedside Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma (FAST) exam training of medical students increases their knowledge and comfort with the use of bedside ultrasound in a family medicine setting at Queen’s University.