Point-Of-Care Ultrasound-Driven vs Standard Diagnostic Pathway in Emergency Department Patients With Dyspnea

Effect of a Point-Of-Care Ultrasound-Driven vs Standard Diagnostic Pathway on 24-Hour Hospital Stay in Emergency Department Patients With Dyspnea - a Randomized Controlled Trial

The POCUS PATHWAY-trial is a multi-center, randomized, investigator-initiated, open labelled, pragmatic, controlled trial of a point-of-care ultrasound-driven diagnostic pathway vs standard diagnostic pathway in dyspneic emergency department patients. The primary outcome will be 24-hour hospital stay and 642 patients will be included. Key secondary outcomes include overall hospital length of stay, image resources, and 72-hour revisits.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Emergency department contact
2. Age ≥ 18 years
3. Chief complaint is Dyspnea
4. Including physician present

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Fulfilling of criteria for coded rapid-response teams (i.e., trauma, surgical or medical emergencies).
2. Prior focused lung or focused cardiac ultrasound in the current emergency department stay
3. Prior enrollment in the trial
4. Unable to consent
5. Non Danish-speaking