Pocus Triage in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Abdominal Pain

NCT06887400 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 16214662-050.01.04-319685-197
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 262
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Introduction and Objective: This study aimed to reveal the effect of classical triage and Bedside Focused Ultrasonography (POCUS) in addition to classical triage on diagnosis, treatment, emergency department follow-up and its relationship with triage models in patients presenting to the emergency department with abdominal pain complaints. METHOD: This randomized, controlled, prospective study was conducted with a total of 262 volunteer participants who were divided into two groups as 127 classical triage and 135 POCUS in addition to classical triage with non-traumatic abdominal pain. The decision of which participant would be included in which group was made at a 1:1 ratio using a computer-aided randomization table. The researcher did not intervene in the clinical processes in any way. In this study, the effect of POCUS application performed in addition to classical triage on clinical processes (imaging request, initial analgesia administration time, consultation request, emergency department stay and outcome) in the primary outcome and on triage systems in the secondary outcome were evaluated. IBM SPSS 21.0 software was used for statistical analysis of the data.

Conditions

Abdominal Pain (AP); Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS); Triage

Keywords

Emergency department; Abdominal pain; POCUS; Triage

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Time to initial analgesia

  To evaluate the effect of adding the POCUS application to conventional triage on clinical processes, including imaging requests, time to initial analgesia.

  6 months

• Request for additional medical imaging

  To evaluate the effect of adding the POCUS application to conventional triage on imaging requests.

  6 months

• Emergency department length of stay

  To evaluate the effect of adding POCUS to conventional triage on the length of stay of patients in the emergency department.

  6 months

Other Outcomes (4)

• POCUS diagnostic sensitivity

  6 months

• Emergency severity index Outcome Measure

  6 months

• Manchester Triage System Outcome Measure

  6 months

Study Arms (2)

POCUS Triage

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients are directed to the area where they will be examined in accordance with the triage category determined by abdominal POCUS, which is performed in addition to classical triage.

Other: Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)

Classical Triage

NO INTERVENTION

Patients are directed to the area where they will be examined in accordance with the triage category determined by classical triage application.

Interventions

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) OTHER

In this study, POCUS was performed by the same emergency medicine physician who had basic and advanced USG training and at least two years of POCUS experience, in accordance with ACEP imaging protocols. A portable USG device with B-Mode, M-Mode, Color Doppler, Power Doppler, Pulsed Wave Doppler modes, and which can be used in all clinical modes with a single probe was used during the protocol application (Butterfly iQ+™, Burlington, United States). Eight abdominal points (epigastric region, right upper quadrant, right side, right lower quadrant, suprapubic region, left lower quadrant, left side and upper quadrant, umbilical region) were scanned with POCUS, the findings were recorded on the previously prepared form, the triage categories of the patients (cl) were updated and the patients were directed to the area where they would be examined with the form.

POCUS Triage

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Present to the emergency room with abdominal pain
• No history of trauma in the last 48 hours
• Stable hemodynamics

You may not qualify if:

• According to the 3-way triage, the color code is red
• Being under the age of 18
• Being pregnant
• Having a history of trauma within the last 48 hours
• Being morbidly obese
• Having mental retardation
• Having repeated emergency room visits
• Being referred from the polyclinic to the emergency room with a diagnosis
• Filling the study form incompletely

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sakarya University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sakarya Training and Research Hospital

Sakarya, Adapazarı, 54100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Thamburaj R, Sivitz A. Does the use of bedside pelvic ultrasound decrease length of stay in the emergency department? Pediatr Emerg Care. 2013 Jan;29(1):67-70. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e31827b53f9.

  PMID: 23283267 BACKGROUND

• Guner NG, Yurumez Y, Yucel M, Alacam M, Guner ST, Ercan B. Effects of Point-of-care Ultrasonography on the Diagnostic Process of Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department with Chest Pain: A Randomised Controlled Trial. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2020 Dec;30(12):1262-1268. doi: 10.29271/jcpsp.2020.12.1262.

  PMID: 33397050 BACKGROUND

• Durgun Y, Yurumez Y, Guner NG, Aslan N, Durmus E, Kahraman Y. Abdominal Pain Management and Point-of-care Ultrasound in the Emergency Department: A Randomised, Prospective, Controlled Study. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2022 Oct;32(10):1260-1265. doi: 10.29271/jcpsp.2022.10.1260.

  PMID: 36205268 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Abdominal Pain; Emergencies

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor,MD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 28, 2025
• First Posted: March 20, 2025
• Study Start: January 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2024
• Study Completion: June 30, 2024
• Last Updated: March 20, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)