Thread subject: NEPI :: FAST vs DPL

Posted by imron on 03-02-2008 20:29
#4

Our centre has a high resolution ultrasound scanner for exculsive use in the ED. FAST scans are done and repeated as frequently as necessary by the EM residents. Our CT scanner which is very close to the ED, can slice through the entire abdomen and pelvis in 10secs flat. (This means a hemodynamically unstable patient has to be stabilzed for just a few minutes to get the scan).

In this setup, neither us nor any surgeon has felt the need to perform the DPL in any patient since the last 2 1/2 years

But we havent conducted any formal studies to justify this protocol.