The most commonly cited current and projected applications are Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (FAST) and assessment of pulseless electrical activity (PEA) arrest. EMS services using ultrasound have a higher proportion of physicians (p < 0.001) as their highest trained prehospital providers when compared to the survey group as a whole. Of respondents, 4.1% of EMS systems (95% CI 1.9, 6.3) reported currently using ultrasound and an additional 21.7% (95% CI 17, 26.4) are considering implementing ultrasound. Of the 755 deliverable surveys we received 255 responses from across Canada and the United states for an overall response rate of 30%. Respondents had the option to complete a paper or electronic survey. This study was a cross-sectional survey distributed to EMS directors on the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) mailing list. Our study objective was to describe the current use of prehospital ultrasound in North America. We believe that EMS system characteristics such as provider training, system size, population served, and type of transport will be associated with use or non-use of ultrasound.
Little is known about how ultrasound is being used in the prehospital environment and we suspect that it is not widely used in North America at this time. Advances in ultrasound imaging technology have made it more accessible to prehospital providers.
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