Transport and use of point-of-care ultrasound by a disaster medical assistance team.
The role of ultrasound in disaster medicine has not been not well established. This report describes the transport and use of point-of-care ultrasound by a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) responding to a mass-casualty incident due to a cyclone. Ultrasound-competent physicians on the team were able to use portable ultrasound on cyclone casualties to exclude intra-abdominal hemorrhage, pericardial fluid, pneumothoraces, and hemothoraces. Information obtained using ultrasound made initial patient management, and subsequent decisions regarding triage for transport safer and based on more detailed clinical information.
Mazur
Stefan M
SM
Emergency Department, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. stefanm@careflightmedical.org.au
Rippey
James
J
D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D054597:Disaster Medicine; D006801:Humans; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010348:Patient Care Team; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014904:Western Australia