Emergency Physician Directed Ultrasound

This paper outlines the background and justification of Emergency Physician-directed ultrasound. The main uses are described, namely Focussed Abdominal Sonography in Trauma (FAST), diagnosis of the abdominal aortic aneurysm, detection of the presence of foreign bodies and abscess cavities and central and peripheral venous access. Other growing applications referred to are early pregnancy and femoral vein assessment in intravenous drug users. Data from one large Emergency Department is presented, which shows a FAST sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 99%. A training and quality assurance approach is outlined.