The Use of the FAST (Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma) Scan by Paramedics in Mass Casualty Incidents

August 16, 2012 updated by: J. Andrew Cusser, Ascension Genesys Hospital

The Use of the FAST Scan by Paramedics in Mass Casualty Incidents

Initially a group of paramedics will be trained to perform FAST (Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma) scans. The paramedics will then enter a simulated mass causality incident and triage patients. Volunteers in the study will include peritoneal dialysis patients ("non stable") and non-peritoneal dialysis patients ("stable"). They will use the ultrasound to perform FAST scans on the patients to determine which subjects are "stable" and which are "unstable" patients. They will record which patients they consider need transport first. This data will be used to evaluate accuracy and speed of the FAST scan. When the paramedic identifies free fluid within the volunteer, they will be able to make the decision to upgrade these patients and ultimately transport them more quickly. The paramedics will be evaluated for time and accuracy with the FAST scan.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Ultrasound and the FAST (Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma) scan is currently being used in the Emergency Department to help evaluate trauma patients. In the field a paramedic will use the START (Simple Triage Rapid Treatment) triage procedure to evaluate many patients and to help decide which patients are more critical and therefore need to be transported first. This study aims to create a mass casualty environment through the use of 10 volunteers who are on peritoneal dialysis and 10 patients who are not.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

19

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Grand Blanc, Michigan, United States, 48439
        • Genesys Regional Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Paramedic - at least one year in the field, physically able to perform the test

Patients:

  • (10)peritoneal dialysis patient that are able to leave dialysate in abdominal cavity for the duration of the test
  • (10) subjects not on peritoneal dialysis who are available for the duration of the test

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 18 years of age

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Non peritoneal dialysis patient
Procedure: SonoSite Ultrasound
Will be moulaged to resemble a peritoneal dialysis patient. Paramedics will scan the abdomen and determine it there's fluid within.
Procedure: SonoSite Ultrasound
Paramedics will scan the abdomen and determine it there's fluid within.
Active Comparator: Peritoneal dialysis patient
Procedure: SonoSite Ultrasound
Will be moulaged to resemble a peritoneal dialysis patient. Paramedics will scan the abdomen and determine it there's fluid within.
Procedure: SonoSite Ultrasound
Paramedics will scan the abdomen and determine it there's fluid within.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To evaluate the use of the ultra sound and FAST scans in a simulation of a mass causality incident by paramedics for accuracy and speed
Time Frame: up to 1 year
up to 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Ascension Genesys Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: James A Cusser, MD, Ascension Genesys Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 7, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 7, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

March 8, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 17, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 16, 2012

Last Verified

August 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ME 10 0050

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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