EMBasic has a great review of evaluating the patient presenting with chest pain. It is Residents/Jr. Docs, but if a paramedic can do a physician quality assessment it just makes them a good paramedic!
While we should always think Horses before zebras, it doesn't mean zebras don't exist!
Ultrasound diagnosis of type a aortic dissection
While we are still waiting to see Ultrasound on our buses, I think it's good to start talking about the uses in the back of an ambulance. Evaluating for Pericardial effusion is a decently well-documented use (1,2).
- Bhat, S. R., Johnson, D. A., Pierog, J. E., Zaia, B. E., Williams, S. R., & Gharahbaghian, L. (2015). Prehospital Evaluation of Effusion, Pneumothorax, and Standstill ({PEEPS)}: Point-of-care Ultrasound in Emergency Medical Services. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 16(4), 503–509. http://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2015.5.25414
- Chin, E. J., Chan, C. H., Mortazavi, R., Anderson, C. L., Kahn, C. A., Summers, S., & Fox, J. C. (2013). A pilot study examining the viability of a Prehospital Assessment with UltraSound for Emergencies (PAUSE) protocol. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 44(1), 142–149. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.02.032