Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Prehospital Settings
The clinical applications and future directions of point-of-care ultrasound in prehospital settings are discussed.
Clinical Applications
Point-of-care ultrasound has various clinical applications, including:
- CRAFT (Cranium, Respiratory, Abdomen, Cardiac Function, and Trauma Integration)
- E-FAST (Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma)
- FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma)
- FATE (Focus-Assessed Transthoracic Echocardiography)
- FEEL (Focused Echocardiography in Emergency Life Support)
- LUS (lung ultrasound)
Recommendations and Guidelines
The International Federation for Emergency Medicine Consensus Statement recommends using ultrasound during rhythm check in cardiac arrest without prolonging interruptions to chest compressions.
Many emergency medicine societies require US training, including its use during cardiac arrest.
Authors: Jakub Czerwiec, Dorota Sobczyk. DOI: 10.20452/jmr.2025.20008, Published online: October 16, 2025.
Author's summary: Point-of-care ultrasound is useful in prehospital settings.