Ultrasound Hypotension Protocol Time-motion Study Using the Multifrequency Single Transducer Versus a Multiple...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Ultrasound hypotension protocols (UHP) traditionally require multiple transducers and presets for different body areas.
• Task switching time between transducers and presets for UHP has not been previously quantified.
• A novel hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) utilizes a single, multifrequency transducer for various imaging needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the time efficiency of performing UHPs using a single-transducer HCU versus a multi-transducer cart-based ultrasound (CBU).
• To evaluate the diagnostic image quality obtained from both HCU and CBU systems during UHP.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, crossover feasibility trial was conducted in an emergency department.
• Emergency physicians performed UHPs on non-hypotensive patients using both HCU and CBU systems.
• Key metrics included time per view, task switching time, total examination time, and image diagnostic quality.

Main Results:

• The median time to complete UHP was significantly shorter with HCU (4.3 minutes) compared to CBU (8.5 minutes) (P <0.0001).
• Excluding transport and plugin times, HCU completion time was 4.1 minutes versus 5.8 minutes for CBU (P <0.0001).
• No significant difference was observed in the diagnostic quality of images acquired by either device.

Conclusions:

• The single-transducer HCU enables significantly faster completion of ultrasound hypotension protocols.
• Using HCU for UHPs does not compromise the diagnostic quality of the obtained ultrasound images.
• This suggests HCU is a more time-efficient tool for emergency department ultrasound assessments.