NCT02638649

Prehospital Use of Ultrasound in Undifferentiated Shortness of Breath

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 69 (actual)
• Sponsor: Yale University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This is a pilot observational feasibility study of the ability of paramedics to assess thoracic ultrasound findings in the prehospital environment. The primary goal of the study is to determine whether paramedics are able to accurately assess for sonographic B-lines in patients with undifferentiated shortness of breath at least 80% of the time in the prehospital environment using a portable ultrasound (U/S) device.

Detailed description

In the first phase of the study, a cohort of senior and supervisory paramedics will be recruited into the study. These paramedics would undergo didactic and hands-on training to learn how to operate the U/S machine, and obtain and interpret basic U/S images. The paramedics will then participate in video review sessions and spend time in the emergency department (ED) with the U/S team to get hands-on experience with patients. In the second phase of the study, paramedics will be staffing ambulances or fly cars in and around the greater New Haven region and will respond to dyspnea calls. At each call, the paramedic will initially evaluate the patient clinically conducting a standard history and physical exam. The paramedic will then use the portable U/S machine to look for the presence of either unilateral or bilateral B-lines indicating possible pneumonia (in the case of unilateral B-lines) or pulmonary edema (in the case of bilateral B-lines). The paramedic will then document the presence or absence of B-lines for each lung on the prehospital study sheet. The paramedic will then use the U/S to evaluate for the presence of pleural effusions, lung sliding and pericardial effusion.

Conditions

• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary Edema
• Dyspnea

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Lung ultrasound	At each call, the paramedic will initially evaluate the patient clinically conducting a standard history and physical exam. The paramedic will then use the portable U/S machine to look for the presence of either unilateral or bilateral B-lines indicating possible pneumonia (in the case of unilateral B-lines) or pulmonary edema (in the case of bilateral B-lines). The paramedic will then document the presence or absence of B-lines for each lung on the prehospital study sheet. The paramedic will then use the U/S to evaluate for the presence of pleural effusions, lung sliding and pericardial effusion.
DEVICE	ultrasound

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-09-01
• Primary completion: 2018-09-15
• Completion: 2018-09-15
• First posted: 2015-12-23
• Last updated: 2020-03-23

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States