Use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) by intensive care paramedics to achieve peripheral intravenous access in patients predicted to be difficult: An out-of-hospital pilot study.

Introduction: Intravenous cannulation is a common procedure for paramedics. Difficulty is often encountered and may result in escalation of care to an intensive care paramedic (ICP). Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access (USGPIVA) is used in-hospital as an alternative approach.

Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound by Intensive Care Paramedics to Assess Respiratory Distress in the Out-of-Hospital Environment: A Pilot Study.

Background: Respiratory distress is a common presentation attended by paramedics. Chest auscultation has been shown to have low accuracy for diagnosing respiratory complaints, and this can lead to inaccurate patient assessment and potentially poor patient outcomes. Conversely, lung ultrasound is a relatively simple exam allowing for rapid differentiation of respiratory complaints with comparable accuracy to more advanced imaging modalities.