Point-of-care ultrasound reduces length of stay for pediatric patients

The use of portable ultrasound as a first line imaging study in children with suspected appendicitis can help reduce the emergency room length of stay for these children as well as the need for CT scans, according to a team from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Their research, published online Feb. 10 in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, found that during the course of a study of 150 children between May 1, 2011, and Oct. 1, 2012, the use of portable ultrasound helped reduce CT scanning rates from 44 percent to 27 percent. In addition, the emergency department length of stay declined by 2 hours and 14 minutes for children undergoing ultrasound.

Additionally, no cases of appendicitis were missed with point-of-care ultrasound, and no unnecessary surgeries were performed on a normal appendix. Article