Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Comparative Study
Emergency department right upper quadrant ultrasound is associated with a reduced time to diagnosis and treatment of ruptured ectopic pregnancies.
To determine whether the time to diagnosis and treatment of patients with ruptured ectopic pregnancy is significantly less for patients who had emergency department (ED) right upper quadrant (RUQ) ultrasound (US) compared with those who had US in the radiology department. ⋯ Patients with ruptured ectopic pregnancy, who were selected to have RUQ US performed in the ED by emergency physicians, had an average decrease in time to diagnosis of two and a quarter hours, and an average decrease in time to treatment of three and a half hours, compared with those having a formal pelvic US in the radiology department. Further prospective investigation is needed to determine whether ED RUQ US can safely expedite care of patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy.
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Although ultrasound guidance is occasionally used for abscess detection and aspiration by our radiology colleagues, this is still a very uncommon application in the emergency department (ED). A case is presented of a patient with a difficult-to-drain, recurrent breast abscess. ⋯ Drainage of the abscess was successfully completed in one attempt with real-time visualization and guidance of the needle. The consulting surgeon requested that ultrasound be available at the patient's follow-up visit to the ED.