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Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Review of Ultrasound Parameters for Predicting Difficult Airways
Published on: April 7, 2023
Effect of a Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Driven vs Standard Diagnostic Pathway on 24-Hour Hospital Stay in Emergency
Stig Holm Ovesen1,2, Søren Helbo Skaarup3, Rasmus Aagaard4
1Research Center for Emergency Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Purpose:
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) helps emergency department (ED) physicians make prompt and appropriate decisions, but the optimal diagnostic integration and potential clinical benefits remain unclear. We describe the protocol and statistical analysis plan for a randomized controlled trial. The objective is to determine the effect of a POCUS-driven diagnostic pathway in adult dyspneic ED patients on the proportion of patients having a hospital stay of less than 24 hours when compared to the standard diagnostic pathway.
Patients And Methods:
This is a multicenter, randomized, investigator-initiated, open-labeled, pragmatic, controlled trial. Adult ED patients with chief complaint dyspnea are eligible. Patients are randomized (1:1) to the POCUS-driven diagnostic pathway or standard diagnostic pathway, with 337 patients in each group. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients having a hospital stay (from ED arrival to hospital discharge) of less than 24 hours. Key secondary outcomes include hospital length-of-stay, 72-hour revisits, and 30-day hospital-free days.
Conclusion:
Sparse evidence exists for any clinical benefit from a POCUS-integrated diagnostic pathway. The results from this trial will help clarify the promising signals for POCUS to influence patient care among ED patients with dyspnea.
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