Do emergency physicians save time when locating a live intrauterine pregnancy with bedside ultrasonography?

Objective: To determine whether patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with first-trimester pregnancy complications have a decreased length of stay (LOS) when a live intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) is diagnosed by emergency physicians (EPs).

Methods: This study was performed at an urban community ED with a residency program and an annual census of 65,000. A retrospective chart review from October 1995 to August 1998 identified 1,419 patients who received ultrasound examinations confirming live IUP in the first trimester with pain and/or bleeding.