A point-of-care thoracic ultrasound protocol for hospital medical emergency teams (METUS) improves diagnostic accuracy

• Published in: The ultrasound journal 2021-06, Vol.13 (1), p.29-29, Article 29
• Main Authors: Blans, M. J, Bousie, E, van der Hoeven, J. G, Bosch, F. H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Critical Care Medicine; Diagnosis; Diagnostic Radiology; Emergency medical services; Emergency Medicine; Health services; Imaging; Intensive; Interventional Radiology; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mortality; Original; Original Article; Point of care testing; Radiology; Teams; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 2524-8987; 2524-8987
• DOI: 10.1186/s13089-021-00229-3

Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has proven itself in many clinical situations. Few data on the use of POCUS during Medical Emergency Team (MET) calls exist. In this study, we hypothesized that the use of POCUS would increase the number of correct diagnosis made by the MET and increase MET’s certainty. Methods Single-center prospective observational study on adult patients in need for MET assistance. Patients were included in blocks (weeks). During even weeks, the MET physician performed a clinical assessment and registered an initial diagnosis. Subsequently, the POCUS protocol was performed and a second diagnosis was registered (US+). During uneven weeks, no POCUS was performed (US−). A blinded expert reviewed the charts for a final diagnosis. The number of correct diagnoses was compared to the final diagnosis between both groups. Physician’s certainty, mortality and possible differences in first treatment were also evaluated. Results We included 100 patients: 52 in the US + and 48 in the US−  group. There were significantly more correct diagnoses in the US+ group compared to the US− group: 78 vs 51% ( P   = 0.006). Certainty improved significantly with POCUS ( P