[Validation of an emergency care physician training program "two-point flash US"]

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Vascular Ultrasound
• Deep Vein Thrombosis Diagnosis

Background:

• Rapid ultrasound assessment of the groin and popliteal areas can aid in diagnosing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
• A short training program for emergency physicians could facilitate a safe home care strategy for suspected DVT patients.
• This approach aims to provide timely decisions before complete duplex-Doppler results are obtained.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a training program for emergency physicians in rapid two-point venous ultrasound.
• To assess inter-operator agreement between trainees and vascular physicians.
• To establish the learning curve for this ultrasound technique.

Main Methods:

• A multicentric study involving 60 emergency care physicians.
• Training included a two-page document, image bank consultation, and practical sessions with 25 patients.
• Inter-operator agreement was assessed by comparing trainee and vascular physician reports for the same patients, using kappa statistics and learning curve analysis.

Main Results:

• The learning curve plateaued around the 20th patient, with kappa values exceeding 0.61 and reaching 0.80.
• The study confirmed the feasibility of two-point venous ultrasound performed by emergency physicians.
• The training program's content and duration were validated.

Conclusions:

• A short, simplified training program is effective for emergency physicians in performing rapid two-point venous ultrasound for DVT.
• This validated training supports a decision criterion for safe home care for suspected DVT patients.
• The training program has potential applications in other medical disciplines like intensive care and geriatrics.