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

NCT ID: NCT06887400

Last Updated: 2025-03-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 262 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2024-06-30

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

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

POCUS Triage

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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)

Intervention Type: 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.

Classical Triage

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

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)

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.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

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

Exclusion Criteria

• 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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Sakarya University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Necip Gökhan Güner

Assistant Professor,MD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Sakarya Training and Research Hospital

Sakarya, Adapazarı, Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

References

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.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23283267 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 33397050 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 36205268 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

16214662-050.01.04-319685-197

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id