California — Targeted Issue

Utility of Abdominal Ultrasound During Emergency Department Evaluation of Children with Blunt Trauma

Sept. 1, 2010 - Aug. 31, 2013

Grant Number
H34MC19682
Project Overview
Abdominal injuries are frequent and difficult to identify in children. The FAST exam (abdominal ultrasound) is used frequently in adults with abdominal trauma and improves clinical care. Its use in children, however, is highly variable, likely due to limited scientific evidence. The goals of this project are to (1) compare the rates of abdominal CT scanning in those children in the ultrasound (US) study arm versus those in the study arm not undergoing US during their initial evaluation; (2) compare the time to ED disposition in those children undergoing US examinations versus those not undergoing such examinations during their initial evaluation; and (3) identify if an ED evaluation strategy with abdominal US results in more cases of missed or delayed diagnosis of clinically-important intra-abdominal injuries than a strategy not employing US.
Institution
Regents of the University of California
Main Contact
Award Amount
$897,809

Contacts

Name Role(s) Phone Email
James Holmes, MD, MPH
  • Principal Investigator

Disseminations

Title Type Publication/Event Published/Presented Identifier Details
Effect of Abdominal Ultrasound on Clinical Care, Outcomes, and Resource Use Among Children With Blunt Torso Trauma A Randomized Clinical Trial Research Paper/Publication Journal of the American Medical Association 2017