SynthesisScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2021
Helicopter emergency medical services use of thoracic point of care ultrasound for pneumothorax: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prehospital ultrasound scanning for abdominal free fluid detection in trauma patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC emergency medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Detecting Pneumothorax: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2026Review
- Point-of-care ultrasound during trauma and critical care transport: a practical, safety-gated review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use in mountain emergency medicine: results from an international online survey.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Efficacy of a theoretical-practical course for the ultrasound measurement of the optic nerve diameter in different healthcare operators.The ultrasound journal · 2025Article
- Article
- Accuracy between prehospital and hospital diagnosis in helicopter emergency medical services and its consequences for trauma care.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2024Article
- [The crux with the "p" in pPOCUS].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2024Article
- [Prehospital ultrasound in emergency medicine].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2024Article
- Prehospital blood gas analyses in acute patients treated by a ground-based physician-manned emergency unit: a cohort study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAuscultating for breath sounds to assess for pneumothorax in the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) settings can be extremely challenging. Thoracic point of care ultrasound (POCUS) offers a seemingly more useful visual (rather than audible) alternative. This review critically and quantitatively evaluates the use of thoracic POCUS for pneumothorax in the HEMS setting.
methodsA systematic literature review with meta-analysis was conducted. Only papers reporting on patients undergoing POCUS for pneumothorax in the helicopter or pre-hospital setting were included. Primary outcome was accuracy, focusing on sensitivity and specificity. Secondary outcome was practicality. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) was used to assess validity of studies.
resultsTwelve studies reporting on n = 1,936 images from medical and trauma patients were included in qualitative synthesis. Studies were nearly all observational designs. Most images were acquired by nurses or paramedics who were previously novices to ultrasound. The reference standard was predominantly CT. Specificity results were unanimously precise and very high, whereas sensitivity results were imprecise and extremely variable. Meta-analysis of eight studies involving n = 1,713 images yielded pooled sensitivity 61% (95% CI: 27-87%; I
conclusionThoracic POCUS is highly specific but has extremely variable sensitivity for pneumothorax when performed in the HEMS setting. This is from purely a diagnostic (not clinical) perspective. Sensitivity increases when only clinically significant pneumothoraces are considered. Case reports reveal thoracic POCUS can appropriately alter treatment and triage decisions, but only for a small number of patients. It appears predominantly useful in mitigating against unnecessary interventions. More research reporting patient focused outcomes is required. In the meantime, thoracic POCUS appears to offer a more appropriate visual alternative to auscultation for breath sounds when assessing for pneumothorax in the HEMS setting.
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