Rural Remote Health
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Rural Remote Health · Aug 2019
Point-of-care ultrasound for FAST and AAA in rural New Zealand: quality and impact on patient care.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has the potential to improve access to diagnostic imaging for rural communities. This article evaluates the sensitivity and specificity, impact on patient care, quality and safety of two common POCUS examinations - focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) and aortic aneurysm (AAA) - in the rural context. ⋯ In the rural context, POCUS AAA is a reliable 'rule out' test for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and FAST scan has a role as a 'rule in' test for solid organ injury. These findings are consistent with larger studies in the emergency medicine literature.