Comparing Use of a Prehospital Ultrasound System and Standard Prehospital Care in Thoracoabdominal Trauma

Inclusion criteria

for FAST cohort:

• Patient is 18 years of age or older
• Patient presenting with blunt or penetrating trauma to the thorax or abdomen
• Patient transported by MD Ambulance to Royal University Hospital
• Patient being transported by a paramedic who has received training in the above ultrasound system and who has with them a NanoMaxx Ultrasound System (SonoSite) to be used in connection with the RP-Xpress (InTouch Technologies)
• Patient will take longer than 10 minutes to transport to hospital
• Patient's care will not be compromised in completing a FAST exam - opinion of paramedic
• Patient's care will not be compromised in completing a FAST exam - opinion of ER physician

Inclusion criteria

for Controls:

• Patient is 18 years of age or older
• Patient presenting with blunt or penetrating trauma to the thorax or abdomen
• Patient transported by MD Ambulance to Royal University Hospital
• Patient will take longer than 10 minutes to transport to hospital

Exclusion criteria

• Patients under the age of 18
• Patients whose care would be compromised if other procedures of higher priority (as determined by paramedics and/or remotely-present physicians) were not be able to be executed due to time involved in completing a FAST exam
• Patients who are not being transported to Royal University Hospital
• Patients whose expected transport time from scene to hospital is less than 10 minutes