Added Diagnostic Value of Point of Care Ultrasound in Acute Dyspnea

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Point of care Ultrasound according to study protocol: An emergency medicine specialist or resident will according to a structured protocol perform a structured ultrasound examination of the heart, the inferior vena cava and the lungs.

Study summary

Dyspnea is a common diagnostic challenge in the Emergency Department (ED). Delay in diagnosis will increase time to correct treatment and could impact outcome. Previous studies have shown excellent diagnostic performance of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to detect and differentiate between several important diagnosis (e.g heart failure and pneumonia) in patients with dyspnea. However, in most studies POCUS is performed by physicians highly experienced in ultrasound and often studies have focused only on one or few diagnoses. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of different diagnosis in dyspnoeic patients before and after a ED physician with limited training applies POCUS.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Discharge diagnosis — Final diagnosis at index visit discharge
  Any of the following diagnosis: Decompensated heart failure, pulmonary embolism, COPD exacerbation, asthma exacerbation, bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid

Trial sites (2)

More Region Skane trials in Sweden

Other trials for the same condition