• Rein Ketelaars, Gabby Reijnders, Geert-Jan van Geffen, Gert Jan Scheffer, and Nico Hoogerwerf.
• Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Palliative Medicine, Radboud university medical center, Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Rein.Ketelaars@radboudumc.nl.
• Crit Ultrasound J. 2018 Aug 8; 10 (1): 17.

AbstractPrehospital point-of-care ultrasound used by nonradiologists in emergency medicine is gaining ground. It is feasible on-scene and during aeromedical transport and allows health-care professionals to detect or rule out potential harmful conditions. Consequently, it impacts decision-making in prioritizing care, selecting the best treatment, and the most suitable transport mode and destination. This increasing relevance of prehospital ultrasonography is due to advancements in ultrasound devices and related technology, and to a growing number of applications. This narrative review aims to present an overview of prehospital ultrasonography literature. The focus is on civilian emergency (trauma and non-trauma) setting. Current and potential future applications are discussed, structured according to the airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and environment/exposure (ABCDE) approach. Aside from diagnostic implementation and specific protocols, procedural guidance, therapeutic ultrasound, and challenges are reviewed.

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